Lambton Public Health has declared an outbreak at Bluewater Health after four people tested positive for COVID-19.

In a news release today, Julia Oosterman, chief of communications for the hospital, says two patients and two Bluewater Health staff are COVID-19 positive in one unit of the hospital.

“Outbreaks have been occurring at hospitals all across the world since the onset of the pandemic. While vaccinations do not 100 per cent prevent people from getting COVID, they do significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization, serious illness, or death. Vaccination also prevents the risk of significant spread of the infection,” she says.

“We are confident we are able to get this outbreak under control, as we have each time we have had COVID in our hospital. Not only has the source of the outbreak been removed, but impacted staff are all isolating at home, Oosterman said.

“Over the next 48 hours we will determine appropriate next steps to ensure continued care and safety of both our staff and patients.”

The hospital has a mandatory vaccine policy and on Oct. 31, terminated 18 employees who were not being vaccinated. Oosterman says the hospital stands by the mandatory policy.

“Vaccinations reduce the impact to operational changes and today’s news could have been much worse without mandatory vaccinations in place.”