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A COVID-19 outbreak at London’s Parkwood Institute has left 14 mostly elderly patients suffering mild systems of the virus, officials say.
It’s the largest outbreak at Parkwood this year and is located mainly in the hospital’s veterans wing, where 11 people in two areas have tested positive, according to Kelsi Break, a spokesperson for St. Joseph’s Health Care London.
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Parkwood provides long-term care to Canadian war veterans in 141 beds across three units. Most of Parkwood’s residents are veterans who served in the Second World War or the Korean War.
“Our residents are in their late eighties, early nineties – right now they’re showing mild cold symptoms, so coughs, runny nose, nasal congestion, body aches,” Break said. “We’re always diligent – this is a veterans’ home.
“We want to protect them and make sure they’re as healthy as they can be and have a good quality of life.”
Another three patients have tested positive for COVID in Parkwood’s complex care program, she said.
The hospital also experienced smaller COVID outbreaks in May and January, Break said, adding the threshold for declaring an outbreak is to have two individuals showing symptoms.
“Outbreak is a word that can frighten people,” she said. “We utilize (the word) outbreak as a way to ensure we have additional measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus.”
Outbreak measures include additional cleaning on widely used surfaces and closely monitoring patients who have symptoms, including temperature checks.
People must wear masks and keep their hands washed when in contact with a patient who’s tested positive, Break said. “We ask that residents and patients don’t leave the unit so we don’t risk spreading it to others in the facility.”
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