By Ron Messer
Seventeen staff members at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) were at home isolating either with confirmed or presumed cases of COVID-19 as of January 6, a number expected to rise according to a hospital representative.
While there have not been any cases believed to have been acquired at the hospital in recent days, NHH’s senior director of public affairs Jennifer Gillard says staff are being exposed in household and community settings and not able to come to work due to isolation requirements.
She adds that even more than in previous waves of the pandemic, having a healthy staff is the biggest challenge at the hospital.
“Staff are not only tired, they are juggling home situations, with small children requiring care for example, and now they are falling ill themselves,” she says.
Late last month, NHH announced an outbreak in its 2B medical/surgical unit involving three staff members.
