Officials confirm COVID-19 outbreak at Lakeshore Hospital after patients test positive

79 COVID-19 cases at Lakeshore hospital There are now 79 cases of COVID-19 at the Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe-Claire.

MONTREAL — Health officials confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak at the Lakeshore General Hospital in the West Island on Wednesday night when patients who had been hospitalized for other reasons tested positive for the virus.

Last weekend, the Lakeshore Hospital prepared to transfer COVID-19-negative patients to St-Mary’s Hospital – a facility that has been designated to care for those who don’t have the virus. To be safe, they had each patient tested for COVID-19. A number of them received positive results.

Lakeshore is designated to care for COVID-19 patients, and officials said as of Wednesday night, there were 79 confirmed cases. A spokesperson for the hospital said the outbreak occurred on the fourth floor, where 30 patients and 34 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.

A number of psychiatric patients were also transferred to the Douglas, but due to another outbreak there the government said the transfers will be halted.

In theory, being a designated centre for COVID-19 would mean a plan had been implemented to keep the virus isolated in “hot zones” of the hospital. Patients who don’t have the virus would be isolated in “cold zones.”

In a statement, the hospital said COVID-19 patients are being given the best care possible, are isolated from others, and that following the new outbreak, a team is on site to reorganize containment areas within the facility.

But a Lakeshore hospital employee who spoke to CTV on the condition of anonymity said between 15-20 hospital employees may have tested positive for COVID-19. She said although staff would like systematic testing of all hospital employees and patients, she feels as though the hospital might not want to know how many people are actually infected.

COVID-19 can be deadly for some and present itself like a flu to others. Some people show no symptoms but are contagious and can therefore spread the virus to others unknowingly.

The new outbreak in the facility may be due to a lack of personal protective equipment provided to staff, sources tell CTV News. They say certain areas of the hospital don’t have access to uniforms or full access to N95 masks.

Officials are repeating that the health board "applies all the preventive measures recommended by Quebec health officials to ensure the health and safety of its clients and employees."