CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE May 12, 2021
The COVID-19 outbreak at the Pontiac Hospital is over as of Monday, but the situation resulted in three deaths, according to the regional health authority, CISSSO.
The outbreak, which took place on the second floor short-term care ward, was first announced in . . .
a press conference on March 23. Initially, 11 patients and eight employees were registered positive, but the numbers quickly ballooned to 18 patients and 12 employees a week later. On Monday, CISSSO media relations officer Marie-Pier Després told THE EQUITY in an email that while there were no more hospitalizations, “unfortunately, 3 patients have died of the Covid-19 related to this outbreak.”
THE EQUITY spoke with a source who works at the hospital with extensive knowledge of the situation.
They requested anonymity since they are not cleared to talk with the media by CISSSO.
They said that the majority of staff who tested positive had recovered and returned to work, though there were still some scheduled to return over the course of this week.
When they spoke to THE EQUITY on May 7, only two patients remained in the hospital’s red zone, which was set up in response to the outbreak.
They said that two people who tested positive had to be transferred to Hull Hospital due to serious symptoms.
The source said that normal operations had returned at the hospital, and things like surgeries and other admissions were back on, though they had spread out the pre-surgery consultations.
“It’s back to normal. We’re back to doing surgeries and scopes, and admissions. We’re taking admissions from downstairs it’s just there’s not many you know,” they said. “The only thing they did is they decreased the flow of people, they’re not doing big consult days, they just decreased.”
Health care worker vaccinations
The source added that the CISSSO was moving to enforce a ministerial degree regarding the vaccination of staff that come in close contact with patients. Those without a vaccination will be required to be screened for COVID-19 three times per week.
CISSSO media relations agent Patricia Rhéaume explained that Order 2021-024, as it is officially known, came into effect on May 3 for long-term care homes, known as CHSLDs. She said that it will gradually come into effect in the following areas:
-Emergency Departments (except for psychiatric emergencies).
-Intensive care units (excluding psychiatric intensive care)
-Dedicated clinics (screening, assessment and vaccination) for COVID-19.
-Units identified by an institution to group clients with a positive diagnosis of COVID-19.
-Residential and long-term care centers (CHSLDs) (public and private).
-Other residential units.
-Respiratory units.
She said that as of May 6, 69 per cent of CISSSO employees had received at least one vaccine dose and they have vaccinated an average of 2,000 employees per week over the past few weeks. Rhéaume added that while there were also 4,000 unvaccinated employees, not all were eligible.
The source at the hospital said that they knew of several co-workers who were dead-set against getting vaccinated.
“People are not happy about it,” they said. “Some of them have changed their mind and gotten vaccinated since this came out.”
The source added that some of the hesitancy around getting the shot was due to the fact that CISSSO had centralized vaccinations for its workers earlier in the roll out, meaning staff in Shawville or Fort Coulonge were expected to drive down to the city on their own time to get their dose.
“In the beginning everybody had to go to Buckingham or Hull,” they said. “If, at the beginning, it had been offered here … more people might have went. That’s what some told me.”
