Grand River Hospital staff members test positive for COVID-19

Region reports 15 presumptive cases of COVID-19 From CTV Kitchener's Nicole Lampa: Public Health said Monday that 17 people have the virus in the region, with another 15 presumptive cases.

KITCHENER — Grand River Hospital has confirmed that two of its staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.

The hospital confirmed the news on Monday afternoon.

"Unfortunately, COVID-19 will continue to impact those in our community, including our staff," a spokesperson says in a statement.

In a memo sent to employees dated March 23, the hospital explained that two cases announced by Region of Waterloo Public Health are staff members.

The first staff member had no travel history outside of the country, the hospital says in the memo. When they started experiencing symptoms, they self-isolated at home and got in touch with Public Health.

The hospital says the staff member had no contact with patients through their role, and says that staff members who engaged with the infected individual have been approached.

In the second case, the hospital says that the staff member had been travelling and followed protocol to report their travel plans.

When they returned to Canada, the person did not return to work, instead self-isolating and reporting symptoms to the hospital's health team.

"This individual remains in isolation; no staff or patients were exposed," the memo reads in part.

In its statement, the hospital says that it had begun measures to make sure of exactly that.

"The processes we have put in place to quickly identify and isolate those who may be impacted, worked as intended which minimized the risk to staff, patients and our community in both of these cases," the statement reads.

The news comes on the same day that Region of Waterloo Public Health announced its 17th confirmed case and another 15 cases that are presumptive positive.

It's not clear whether the Grand River Hospital staff members are laboratory confirmed or presumptive positive.

These aren't the first cases reported in a Waterloo Region hospital: last week, Public Health announced at a news conference that a staff member at St. Mary's General Hospital had tested positive for COVID-19.

Hers was the first case of community transmission reported in the region.

Since, six other staff members at St. Mary's have been tested for COVID-19.