Area hospitals are ready should coronavirus arrive in Windsor-Essex.
President and CEO David Musyj presented a containment plan should there be an outbreak of COVID-19 at Windsor Regional Hospital's Board of Director's meeting Thursday night.
In the event of a pandemic, Musyj says traffic in and out of area hospitals will be strictly regulated and non-essential services would be cancelled.
"We look at some of the services where people don't need to be here that could be postponed, making those decisions and ensuring those who need emergency services as well as those who need to be admitted because of COVID-19 are taken care of," added Musyj.
Roughly 30 per cent of frontline workers would likely contract the virus while helping patients, so Musyj says the plan also calls for recently retired staff to be called back into action and for personnel with critical care experience to be transferred to screening and quarantine areas.
He tells AM800 News the plan is for the absolute worst case scenario.
"Prepare for the worst and you pray for the best, if something happens in between we're ready for it. That's what our plan is and hopefully we never have to implement it," he says. "Being ready for this is part of good planning. Ever since SARS we've been doing it annually, so that's not to say that when something like this happens it isn't difficult, it is difficult and difficult decisions have to be made."
Chief of Staff Dr. Wassim Saad says no additional precautions are being taken by frontline workers.
"We have infection control protocols that are currently in place and have always been in place to help manage infectious diseases and any patient that could be coming through our doors," he says. "It could be something that's airborne that's even worse than COVID-19 such as tuberculosis where we have proper protective equipment that people will put on … then we're then able to isolate them in certain parts of the hospital as needed."
As of Thursday, there are 22 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario and 41 across Canada. All of those cases being contracted while travelling and there has been no evidence of the virus spreading within the community.
Musyj says all 18 people tested for the virus in Windsor wound up having the flu or nothing at all.
He says residents should contact the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Telehealth Ontario or their family practitioner for advice before heading to area hospitals
Up to date information on COVID-19 can also be found on Windsor Regional Hospital's website.
Musyj reminds residents that a healthy person will simply have cold and flu symptoms that can be managed with rest, over the counter pain medications and plenty of fluids.
The vast majority of deaths related to the virus have been relegated to those who already have compromised immune systems due to another illness or condition, he added.