The number of COVID-19 patients in the Chatham hospital has gone up slightly.
On Thursday, the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) reported that it has 11 patients in the hospital with the virus. Ten of them are local residents while one is not. One of the COVID-19 patients is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), one is in the Progressive Care Unit, and nine are in the Medicine Unit, which is under an outbreak. The hospital continues admitting COVID-19 patients even in outbreak mode.
Hospital officials said the ICU continues to be at 60 per cent capacity and the Medical, Surgical, and Critical Care Unit is at 83 per cent occupancy. There are two patients on ventilators in the ICU but neither is a COVID-19 patient. Five of the six patients in the ICU don't have the virus.
CKHA President and CEO Lori Marshall said the ICU numbers are still well above what they were in the second wave, adding we are not yet through the third wave.
"We want to make sure that we continue to have capacity to be able to respond to any needs that might arise locally or in the province," said Marshall.
Chatham-Kent Public Health reported 36 active cases on Thursday after one new case and two resolve cases were noted. There is also one very small outbreak at an undisclosed workplace.
Walpole island First Nation is reporting three active cases and no new deaths.
Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby said there have been one or two residents who have been infected after receiving the COVID-19 shot. He said they have reported mild symptoms and he is not concerned because this was predicted as the vaccine does not provide 100 per cent immunity from the virus.