When an outbreak is declared, LHSC works closely with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) and our Infection Prevention and Control team to implement the following actions to ensure safe care within the affected units:
- Monitoring and/or restricting admissions, transfers and discharges
- Routinely assessing existing patients for signs and symptoms of COVID-19
- Routine COVID-19 surveillance testing of affected staff and patients
- Implementing Universal Precautions
- Increasing frequency of routine safety and PPE use audits
- Initiating enhanced equipment and environmental cleaning measures are taken
- Contact tracing of affected staff and patients completion
- Temporarily suspending student placements on outbreak units
The following additional measures are considered to limit COVID-19 outbreaks and keep staff, physicians, patients, and our community safe:
For patients:
- COVID-19 testing upon admission for all patients admitted to LHSC (including University and Victoria hospitals)
- Masking of all admitted adult inpatients at University Hospital and Victoria Hospital
- Limiting visitors to the hospital
- Opening beds to provide additional capacity
For staff and physicians:
- Cohorting of staff and physicians to a geographic area of work
- Initiating enhanced cleaning protocols
- Initiating enhanced surveillance COVID-19 testing for all staff and physicians
- Opening additional break room spaces for staff and physicians to ensure appropriate physical distancing can be maintained while eating
- Limiting the movement of staff and physicians between units and hospitals
- Implementing routine safety audits
In some outbreak situations, MLHU will implement additional measures for staff and physicians including but not limited to:
- Initiating work quarantine
- Limiting community interaction
