KENORA — Visitor restrictions apply at Lake of the Woods District Hospital’s Unit 2E (Medical Surgical) as it continues to experience a COVID-19 outbreak.
Palliative care patients are permitted visitors “but general visiting is not permitted during an outbreak,” infection prevention and control practitioner Janet Paulson said in an interview Wednesday.
The challenges in responding to an outbreak at a hospital include controlling the spread of infection “when patients who are confused and wander get sick,” she said.
“We encourage patients to wear masks when they’re out of their rooms,” she said. “But, you know, some patients aren’t directable or re-directable, or their families come in.
“It’s very hard to supervise,” she said. “And for the patients – this is their home, right? For a lot of patients, this is their home for the time being. And people typically don’t wear masks in their own homes.
“So, you know, it’s a balancing act.”
But hospitals learned a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.
Face masks are available to visitors when they enter the hospital.
The outbreak comes amid a surge in respiratory illnesses, including influenza A as well as COVID-19, in the region. The Northwestern Health Unit encourages people to get vaccinated and mask up when in indoor public settings.
Inquiries about visitor restrictions and allowances may be made by calling the hospital at 468-9861.
