Another primary healthcare system in Windsor-Essex is at the ready as the Chinese coronavirus continues to make headlines.
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare has joined other healthcare systems, school boards and other entities with its disclosure of an action plan should the coronavirus appear in Windsor-Essex.
Speaking to media following the HDGH board meeting Wednesday night, hospital CEO Janice Kaffer said the number-one weapon is information. Unlike the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003, Kaffer pointed out that social media is at the centre of things, and it's vital to make sure fact and fiction are kept separate.
"One of the things I talked to my staff about is the need to make sure that as health professionals, we are sharing information that is valid and comes from reputable sources," said Kaffer. "When we hear misinformation, we challenge that and correct it."
Kaffer added that because HDGH has no emergency department, and it has more of a focus toward more vulnerable patients, the system's approach to preparing for possible outbreaks has been in place for some time.
"Because we're a post-acute centre, we're feeling that we're at the readiness we need to be at," said Kaffer. "We're monitoring. We're being very cautious and careful about everything that we're doing, and making sure that our staff have all the relevant information that we have to have."
The BBC reported Wednesday night that about 7,711 people in China, mostly in and around the city of Wuhan, were infected, surpassing the SARS outbreak. At least 170 people have died from the virus.
Two confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Ontario, both from the Toronto area. A third case has been confirmed in B.C.
