COVID-19 Information for Residency Programs - December 1

Unfortunately, the number of patients and staff with COVID-19 positive tests continues to increase. There is a tremendous amount of work being done at LHSC to try to test, isolate, contain and protect staff and patients from further exposure

New for today:

  • A reminder that faculty and residents who have been at UH and provided clinical care (from the date of November 10th) must be tested. Testing capacity at University Hospital has been increased to accommodate over 500 tests/day. At University Hospital, 3rd floor behind Auditorium A, the test centre is now open from 0600 – 1345 each day, 7 days a week. There is a ticket system – just get your ticket and return for your test time.
  • Audits of PPE, social distancing, hand hygiene are underway throughout UH. A reminder please to ensure you adhere to recommendations and best practices. Break rooms which allow for a minimum 6-foot distance are available for eating/drinking. When not actually eating or drinking masks are required.
  • From today (December 1st) and planned to extend to December 15th reductions in ambulatory clinic volumes at UH are planned – this includes all ambulatory clinics and diagnostic services.
    • Urgent/emergent ambulatory visits, procedures and surgeries will continue (the working definition of urgent/emergent is ‘required within 7 days’).
    • As much as possible visits that can be done virtually will be completed virtually.
    • The target for in-person visits is 10% of usual clinic volume.
  • Contingency planning is occurring for bed and ICU bed capacity. On am December 1st there are 197 patients in ICU provincially, the majority in the GTA area, at LHSC there is no concern at this moment re: ICU capacity.

Note other available test centres include:

The VH Testing Centre is available. Here’s a link to the appointment booking for the VH Testing Centre.

Testing is also available at the Carling Assessment Centre 7 days a week. Here’s the link for booking appointments at the Carling Assessment Centre.

Please take care,
Lois