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SickKids experiencing COVID-19 outbreak in non-patient care area
Summary:
SickKids is no longer experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 among staff in the Core Lab, a clinical testing lab in the hospital.
Update as of December 22, 2020: In consultation with Toronto Public Health, this outbreak has been declared over. There have been no new COVID-19 cases identified in connection with this outbreak in the past 14 days. In total, five staff members tested positive and no patients or family members tested positive as a result of the outbreak.
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 among staff in the Core Lab, a clinical testing lab in the hospital. Four staff members from this area have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days. At this time, the outbreak is believed to be confined to this area. These staff members do not have direct contact with patients.
A COVID-19 outbreak is defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases (patients and/or staff) within a specified area (unit/floor/service) within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in the hospital.
All necessary infection prevention and control protocols continue to be followed to ensure the safety of patients, families and staff, and measures are being taken to ensure minimal disruption to care. The Core Lab conducts biochemistry testing for the hospital.
Everyone who has been exposed or suspected to have been exposed has been notified. All staff who recently spent a significant amount of time in the affected area are being tested. We will closely monitor the situation and adjust testing criteria as needed.
SickKids and Toronto Public Health (TPH) are working together to manage this outbreak. This is the first time SickKids has had an outbreak since the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic. At this time, we believe the risk remains low to patients, families and staff outside this area. The safety of patients, families and staff remains our top priority.
For the most up-to-date information about the COVID-19 situation at SickKids, please visit our COVID-19 Information Hub.