The gym at Lambton College will turn into a hospital if the number of people with COVID-19 increases dramatically in Lambton.

Bluewater Health and the college announced it had turned the schools gymnasiums into a 150-bed field hospital this morning. It’s part of a provincial call to action for the next level of the pandemic.

Bluewater Health Communications Chief Julia Oosterman says right now, the hospital is at 55 per cent capacity, so the overflow hospital won’t be needed yet. There are 40 beds in the COVID Unit at the hospital now with 300 total in the Sarnia site. They can add an additional 84 beds.

Oosterman says people with COVID-19 would stay at the hospital, since it is the best equipped to handle acute care. Non-COVID-19 patients would be moved to the Lambton College location if it is needed.

“Our hope is we do not need to move any patients to the Lambton College site, but we have to be ready for the worst case,” says Bluewater Health CEO Mike Lapaine.