Ontario public health experts and policy-makers are revising quarantine and isolation rules, due to newly emerging data on the variant and to avoid staffing shortages at hospitals. From nadineyousif_
cases rapidly rising in Ontario and other provinces, public health experts and policy-makers are revising quarantine and isolation rules, due to newly emerging data on the variant and to avoid staffing shortages at hospitals.
Ontario’s decision to revise isolation protocol for health-care workers comes after reports of a rising number of hospital staff who have recently tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to the virus in the community, prompting worries about critical staffing shortages that could impact patient care.
Alexandra Hilkene, spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott, said the guidance now is to have hospital staff take a PCR test as soon as they’re exposed to COVID-19, and take another one seven days after. Meanwhile, they can continue working if they test negative every day through the self-administered rapid antigen tests and are asymptomatic.
“We’re seeing a lot of staff who are testing positive, or more commonly have a community exposure,” Granton said, adding hospitals have been debating the balance of the theoretical risk of a COVID-19 exposure versus the risk of not being able to support clinical programs or the needs of patients. Other provinces have also expressed worry about having too many staff off work due to virus exposure. New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health, Jennifer Russell, said her province is considering test-to-stay policies for hospital workers, whileto care for patients who have also been exposed.
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