Five nursing students currently taking their placement at the Windsor Regional Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19.
The hospital was notified that the University of Windsor had four nursing students test positive for the virus Sunday who worked at the Ouellette Campus on Nov. 3 and Nov. 6 — one student from St. Clair College worked at Met on Nov. 2.
Hospital CEO and President David Musyj confirmed all five cases were contracted in the community.
"It just shows just how easy it can start. Some of us might be 'immune to it' and be fine, but when you working with vulnerable populations, especially in a hospital, you just got to take that extra precaution when you're outside of the hospital," he added.
Musyj says the students worked in a limited capacity and were wearing full PPE, but officials are still assessing the threat of exposure for all patients and staff.
"To ensure they are swabbed for COVID-19 and monitored for any symptoms and hopefully it's isolated, but it will have to play out to see where this goes," he added. "They [staff] wear PPE when they come into the hospital and follow proper health measures and hygiene, etc.; hopefully it wasn't spread once they got into facility."
Musyj says the placement program will be suspended for at least two weeks while they ensure there are no more outbreaks within the nursing student population.
The hospital has temporarily suspended visitation for the 6E and 7W floors at Ouellette Campus and 6N and 8N floors at Met. Officials have also have stopped moving patients from those floors unless they are being discharged to go home and isolate.
The affected units are also undergoing a deep cleaning according to Musyj.