COVID-19 outbreak declared at Iroquois Falls hospital
The Porcupine Health Unit has declared an outbreak at the Anson General Hospital in Iroquois Falls and says it is working with the hospital to ensure the safety of its staff and patients.
The 54-bed facility services communities in the immediate area and provides both emergency and outpatient care.
"Affected individuals have been given individual guidance for monitoring, isolation and testing as appropriate," wrote PHU in a Jan.15 news release.
"The health unit will continue to work with the hospital setting to provide infection prevention and control assessments and support the implementation of enhanced public health measures as necessary."
PHU but did not disclose the number of positive cases or if the cases were among staff and, or patients. Public health officials have not confirmed if there are any patients in hospital with COVID-19 or due to COVID-19.
PHU reported 880 active cases Friday afternoon with another 40 added on Saturday.
Of those 40 new cases, 16 are being reported from Timmins, 11 from the James and Hudson Bay district, 5 from the Cochrane, Matheson, Iroquois Falls & Smooth Rock Falls area, 4 from Kapuskasing, Opasatika, Val Rita-Harty, Moonbeam & Fauquier-Strickland area, and 4 from the Hearst & Hornepayne region.
It is not clear how many of the 5 reported from the Cochrane, Matheson, Iroquois Falls & Smooth Rock Falls area are related to the Anson General Hospital.
A hospital outbreak in Ontario is define as two or more laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases (patients and/or staff) within a specified area (unit/floor/service) within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in the hospital.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
People in Gaza are 'wasting' from famine: World Food Programme director
World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain says people living in Gaza are 'wasting' as famine concerns continue amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
WATCH Why today's inflation numbers are good if you have a mortgage
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
'Miscommunication' Liberals say of Speaker Fergus event invite Conservatives call partisan
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing fresh Conservative-led calls to resign, this time over "very partisan" and 'inflammatory' language used – the Liberals say mistakenly – to promote an upcoming event.
'Mr. Trump doesn't worry us', says Canadian ambassador
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues the 'Team Canada' charm offensive to U.S. lawmakers and business leaders, Canada's ambassador to the United States downplayed the effect of another Trump presidency on Canada.