Hospital CEO is concerned about rising numbers

By Mark Ribble

LEAMINGTON — Erie Shores Health- Care Chief Executive Officer, Kristin Kennedy, is voicing her concerns over rising COVID numbers in and around the community and the false narrative that is preventing people from getting vaccinated or following public health restrictions.

“The data doesn’t lie,” she says. “Facts are facts and this is not a conspiracy.”

Kennedy noted that there are currently 12 confirmed COVID-19patients in hospital at Erie Shores. All 12 are unvaccinated.

“The vaccines work tominimize hospitalization and death,” she said.

Currently the Erie Shores HealthCare COVID Assessment Centre is seeing a sharp increase in positivity rates that are around 15 per cent, which is five times the provincial positivity rate.

Kennedy says this is alarming and shows that our area is in need of ‘tightening up’.

“There is a significant community burden and spread right now,” she said.

The recent outbreak at a popular Kingsville restaurant — which so far has infected 42 people — has had a significant impact on local case numbers and hospital admissions.

Kennedy says that Erie Shores is currently at about 25 per cent capacity in their ICU, which could go up exponentially if left unaddressed.

That’s why she was pleased with the letter of instruction issued over the weekend by the Windsor-Essex County Medical Office of Health.

The letter of instruction reduces the number of people at an indoor gathering to 10, while outdoor gatherings will be set at 25. The restrictions take effect Friday, December 10 at 12:01 am.

The hospital itself has also put enhanced visitor screening measures in place, effective Monday, December 6.

Vaccinated visitors are required to test negative on a Rapid Antigen Test that is completed on arrival to the hospital.

Unvaccinated visitors are required to provide ESHC screeners with a negative PCR test result, taken within 72-hours, and required to test negative on a Rapid Antigen Test that is completed on arrival at the hospital.

These enhanced measures are on top of restrictions currently in place, including a limit on the number of permitted visitors per patient and limitations on a visitor’s ability to move throughout the hospital.

The new screening measures do not impact patients seeking medical care. As always, a patient’s care at Erie Shores HealthCare is not affected by a patient’s COVID or vaccination status.

“We’re tired,” says Kristin Kennedy. “We need the community to help us out of this. Vaccinations work. Please get vaccinated.”