Effective immediately masking is required for everyone when present on all inpatient units, in the Emergency Department (ED), the Urgent Care Centre (UCC), and the Children’s Outpatient Centre (COPC).
Effective today, mandatory masking is required on all KHSC clinical inpatient units.
“This decision was guided by multiple sources including analysis of provincial and regional COVID-19 data which are all now at levels that suggest a higher potential for transmission of COVID-19 in health care settings,” says Dr. Gerald Evans, Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC). “In southeastern Ontario, after falling to one per cent during the early and mid-summer, test positivity is now over 10 per cent, outbreak numbers, which for many months were in the single digits, are now at 15, and wastewater detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the southeast has shown rises particularly in KFLA.
“There is some evidence that we may be at a peak now and we are hopeful this will be a short-term return to masking. Test positivity, wastewater detection and outbreaks in congregate setting levels are high but now showing some stability and other countries including the U.S. are predicting a peak or reporting early post-peak levels of COVID-19. We understand this is a challenging decision, however, we must ensure a safe environment for every person who comes here to receive care, work, volunteer, or learn.”
There has been an increase in the number of staff who have high-risk exposure to COVID-19 positive patients on inpatient units, some of whom have subsequently developed COVID-19. “Mandatory masking will reduce the number of COVID-19 transmissions, high-risk exposures, and the need for workplace isolation for staff when COVID-19 prevalence is high,” said Natasha Salt, IPAC Director.
Masking is now mandatory in
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