Getting tested for COVID-19 in communities surrounding Chatham could soon be easier.
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance CEO Lori Marshall told reporters during a teleconference on Monday that planning is underway with the local public health unit and local paramedics to get mobile swab testing rolling at communities in Kent County. It likely won't be drive-thru testing because CK's Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby has previously said drive-thru testing "is not useful". More details are expected this week.
Local plans are also being worked out to expand swab testing for front line workers, hospital workers, first responders, and workers at long term care homes. Currently, the only COVID-19 assessment centre is at 47 Emma St. in Chatham. Testing rules at the Chatham assessment centre have recently changed to allow anyone to get tested even without symptoms but Marshall said, to date, there has been no major increase in health care workers getting tested.
The province said this new, expanded testing plan will provide valuable information about the spread of the virus in different communities across the province and help to better protect vulnerable populations and all Ontarians. The government added the enhanced testing is also designed to support public confidence and re-opening the economy. The province is also looking to expand testing to additional essential workplaces and is working collaboratively with sector leaders, including the agri-food sector, auto manufacturers, major retailers and trucking to protect workers and contain the spread of the virus as the economy gradually reopens.
CKHA is also reviewing the possibility of loosening COVID-19 visiting restrictions in place at the hospital depending on how the renewal of elective surgeries goes starting June 1. Currently, there is no change to visitor restrictions. Only patients at the end of life and newborn babies are allowed visitors.
Marshall added the backlog of elective surgeries that were cancelled in March because of the pandemic will take some time to clear. She added surgeons will prioritize the surgeries based on the seriousness of each case and contact the patients with their new dates.
She also said the Chatham field hospital remains in place in case it's needed but it hasn't had any patients to date. Marshall said negotiations are underway with St. Clair College to keep the field hospital at the Healthplex after the one dollar lease expires in early July in case there is a second wave of COVID-19.
On Monday, Chatham-Kent Public Health reported one new case of COVID-19 at Greenhill Produce to bring its active cases to a total of seven. There are three active cases in Chatham-Kent outside of that greenhouse operation. Public health officials are now reporting a total of 102 confirmed cases at Greenhill Produce and a total of 146 cases across Chatham-Kent in the past 11 weeks. Only one life has been lost to COVID-19 and one patient remains in the hospital because of the virus.
Meanwhile, CK's Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby said the issue of stores demanding that customers wear a mask before shopping has not become a problem locally. Colby said there has only been one complaint from a person saying they were denied entry into a store in Wallaceburg because they weren't wearing a mask.
The doctor emphasized again that wearing a mask is a distant fourth on the hierarchy of COVID-19 controls after social distancing, engineering controls such as barriers, and administrative controls like maximum capacity and screening.
