Deadly epidemic in London, Ontario University Hospital grows



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LONDON, ONT. Officials from the London Health Sciences Center (LHSC) provided an update on the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak at University Hospital on Friday, which is now associated with the deaths of 12 patients.

The Middlesex-London Hospital and Health Unit confirmed that a new death reported on Friday is associated with the outbreak.

LHSC President and CEO Dr. Paul Woods said, “We are human, we are fallible and we are tired … there was never any intention of causing harm.”

Woods expressed his condolences to families who have lost a loved one and said they have focused on bringing the outbreak to an end and preserving the health of patients, staff and the community.

Dr Michal Payne, Director of Infection Prevention and Control at LHSC, added: “We have implemented many outbreak measures at our facility, hopefully in the next two weeks we will actually see a reduction in cases and an end to this outbreak. “

As for rumors of a potluck event involved in the outbreak, officials also said an internal investigation found no evidence that this was the case.

Dr Adam Dukelow, LHSC’s chief medical officer, reiterated that the hospital is committed to remaining transparent about the outbreak and regrets the impact the service changes have had on patients.

“We are very busy investigating the outbreak and have been doing it for some time. At this point we don’t see the need for a third party investigation into the outbreak.”

Woods added that work is underway to address concerns about personal protective equipment (PPE) and sufficient space for staff to take breaks.

“We are confident in terms of PPE on this outbreak, compliance with what PPE was recommended, as opposed to lack of availability. In terms of space for breaks, it is something we have heard and our facilities team has indicated it as our number one priority. “

At the university hospital, there are 49 hospitalized patients and 45 employees still positive for COVID-19 as of Friday and, to date, the hospital is reporting a total of 64 patient cases and 48 staff cases. They are two other patients and two staff cases since Thursday.

– With files by Daryl Newcombe and Amanda Taccone of CTV News London

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