The Pembroke Regional Hospital ensures local residents that it is safe for patients in need of medical care to visit the hospital. The statement comes after a health care worker at PRH recently tested positive for COVID-19. PRH President and CEO Pierre Noel says that this is the third member of the health care team who has tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic, adding that any patients who would have been at risk of exposure from this case would already have been contacted. Noel says the current case is unrelated to the previous two staff cases, which have since been cleared. He noted that the hospital is in the process of completing a thorough investigation and is working closely with its Occupational Health and Safety Department and the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) to complete contact tracing. Anyone who has been deemed to be a close contact of the positive case has already been directed to self-isolate and testing has been completed or is in process. The hospital maintains strict safety measures in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These include organization-wide use of personal protective equipment, diligent hand hygiene and physical distancing practices, as well as guidance and protocols when physical distancing in shared spaces is not possible.
