COVID-19 Outbreak Measures

When an outbreak is declared, LHSC works closely with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) and our Infection Prevention and Control team to implement the following actions to ensure safe care within the affected units:

  • Monitoring and/or restricting admissions, transfers and discharges
  • Routinely assessing existing patients for signs and symptoms of COVID-19
  • Routine COVID-19 surveillance testing of affected staff and patients
  • Implementing Universal Precautions 
  • Increasing frequency of routine safety and PPE use audits
  • Initiating enhanced equipment and environmental cleaning measures are taken
  • Contact tracing of affected staff and patients completion
  • Temporarily suspending student placements on outbreak units 

The following additional measures are considered to limit COVID-19 outbreaks and keep staff, physicians, patients, and our community safe:

For patients:

  • COVID-19 testing upon admission for all patients admitted to LHSC (including University and Victoria hospitals) 
  • Masking of all admitted adult inpatients at University Hospital and Victoria Hospital  
  • Limiting visitors to the hospital
  • Opening beds to provide additional capacity 

For staff and physicians:

  • Cohorting of staff and physicians to a geographic area of work  
  • Initiating enhanced cleaning protocols
  • Initiating enhanced surveillance COVID-19 testing for all staff and physicians 
  • Opening additional break room spaces for staff and physicians to ensure appropriate physical distancing can be maintained while eating
  • Limiting the movement of staff and physicians between units and hospitals
  • Implementing routine safety audits

In some outbreak situations, MLHU will implement additional measures for staff and physicians including but not limited to:

  • Initiating work quarantine
  • Limiting community interaction