WESTLOCK — The Westlock Healthcare Centre is under outbreak protocols after two people tested positive for COVID-19, including one for the variant first identified in the United Kingdom.
Alberta chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw confirmed the positive cases tonight in her regular COVID-19 press updates.
Alberta Health Services says the hospital is safe, and there is no increased risk for incoming patients.
“Any patient with symptoms, or who has tested positive for COVID-19, is isolated and treated in designated rooms,” AHS said in a press release.
The outbreak was declared March 4, and contact tracing is ongoing for those who might have been exposed. AHS didn’t specify whether the individuals who tested positive were staff, patients or visitors.
The medical officer of health, infection prevention and control specialists, site leadership and AHS Workplace Health and Safety are reviewing the outbreak.
AHS says all healthcare workers are asked to self-assess for COVID-19 symptoms and risk of exposure before every shift.
“Patients within the hospital will continue to receive the treatment, care and support they need,” the statement read, but visitors will be limited to essential persons only for end-of-life or extenuating circumstances.
More information on visitor restrictions and rules can be found on the AHS website.
This is the second outbreak at an AHS facility in Westlock. In November 2020, at least six people — one staff member and five residents — at the Westlock Continuing Care Centre tested positive for COVID-19. The outbreak resulted in the death of a 90-year-old man from Athabasca.
Currently, both the Athabasca and the Boyle Healthcare Centres have ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks.
COVID-19 cases in the area have stalled since the middle of February, with no increase in the case counts for at least three weeks, although the government’s geospatial COVID-19 tracker has not been as reliable in recent weeks.
