These are extraordinary times and CAMH is committed to transparency and communication with the community that we serve. We have committed to providing daily updates on the status of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and actions that we’re taking to keep staff and patients safe.
With deep sadness CAMH confirms the death of a second patient with COVID-19. We offer our sincere condolences to the patient’s family. A tightly-knit community, CAMH shares in their loss.
On March 30, 2020, a 53 year-old patient was confirmed positive for COVID-19. They were tested at the onset of symptoms. The patient was receiving mental health care on a forensic unit that was on full precautions for an outbreak. The patient was transferred to UHN where they passed away. CAMH is deeply grateful to the specialists who provided the best possible care for our patient.
The overall number of staff and patient positive COVID-19 diagnoses remain unchanged today. Among those total diagnoses, 3 more staff diagnoses are resolved and we are reporting 1 additional patient death. All positive patient diagnoses are from units that are confirmed COVID-19 outbreak units (as previously communicated). As per protocol, the units continue to be closed to admissions and transfers, and droplet and contact precautions remain in effect.
We continue to work with our partners at Toronto Public Health on reporting, surveillance and infection control. Our staff continually monitors and follows the Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) recommendations from public health as they are updated, including screening and use of personal protective equipment.
Following the announcement to expand testing in Ontario and with further guidance from Public Health, CAMH immediately began testing all asymptomatic patients and staff on our outbreak units. We appreciate the opportunity to increase testing capacity as another precaution to support patient and staff safety.
We thank our staff and physicians for their continued work to care for our patients during these challenging times.
For more information on what CAMH is doing to protect staff and patients, visit http://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/novel-coronavirus-update.