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False SARS alarm at hospital, but lockdown starts 'shortly'

Fears that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) might have arrived at Sault Area Hospital over the past 24 hours have turned out to be unfounded, hospital spokesman Brady Irwin tells SooToday.com.
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Fears that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) might have arrived at Sault Area Hospital over the past 24 hours have turned out to be unfounded, hospital spokesman Brady Irwin tells SooToday.com.

The hospital advised Algoma Medical Officer of Health Allan Northan of two cases it considered suspicious, but Northan confirmed this afternoon that neither patient fit the definition of a suspected case.

A similar false alarm occurred on Saturday, Irwin said.

Despite widespread rumours burning through the community today, Irwin said that Sault Area Hospital has absolutely no confirmed, probable or suspected cases at this time.

Provincially mandated precautions

However, Irwin said that sweeping, provincially mandated precautions will be announced shortly at SAH's four locations (Plummer, General, Richards Landing and Thessalon).

The precautions, imposed on all hospitals province-wide, include sweeping visitor restrictions.

In Sault Ste. Marie, hospital access will be restricted to three designated entrances:

- the emergency entrance at the General Hospital

- the rehab entrance at the rear of the General site

- the renal entrance at the rear of the Plummer site

Lockdown imposed

All patients, staff and visitors will be required to use only these entrances, and everyone will be screened there for SARS symptoms.

A stringent 'lockdown' on visiting will be imposed, allowing only parents of child patients and people visiting patients with life-threatening illness to visit.

"Parents and compassionate, that's it," Irwin told SooToday News.

Anyone visiting the emergency department will be asked to don a surgical mask, he said.

Jeffrey Ougler's day off

Meanwhile, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) announced this afternoon that concerns about SARS have prompted it to cancel its 2003 annual general meeting scheduled for April 10-12.

"The association is heeding the advice of public health officials who have recommended that health-care workers avoid socializing in large groups, particularly where there is a mixing of people from various facilities to prevent cross-contamination should anyone be incubating SARS while attending the meeting," the group said in a news release issued at 3:25 p.m.

Sault Star reporter Jeffrey Ougler was to attend the convention in Markham, Ontario to receive a 2003 Award for Excellence in Health Care Reporting.

Two more deaths

The following is the latest SARS announcement from the Ontario Ministry of Health, issued at 4:11 p.m. today:

***************************************************************** TORONTO, April 1 - Dr. Colin D'Cunha, Ontario's Commissioner of Public Health and Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Dr. James Young, Ontario's Commissioner of Public Security, today announced that there have been two more patient deaths linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

A total of six people in the province now have died from SARS. "I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of these patients," Dr. D'Cunha said. Dr. D'Cunha said these two patients who passed away also had a direct connection with the SARS cases at the Scarborough Hospital, Grace Division. "Restrictive hospital measures remain in place at hospitals across the province to contain the spread of SARS," Dr. Young said.

Some of the measures include:

- restricting visitors

- screening patients, visitors and others

- suspending non-urgent transfers between health care facilities

- ensuring that emergency and critical care employees wear personal protection

Dr. D'Cunha stressed the importance of good hygiene, such as hand washing, in preventing illness. "Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, such as SARS," Dr. D'Cunha said.

"It's also important to follow the other advice that we've passed on about SARS." As of today, April 1, 2003, there are approximately 124 cases of SARS in Ontario, which include 56 probable and 68 suspect cases.

*****************************************************************


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David Helwig

About the Author: David Helwig

David Helwig's journalism career spans seven decades beginning in the 1960s. His work has been recognized with national and international awards.
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