Kitimat Hospital remains under visiting restriction

Northern Health is advising Kitimat residents that the Kitimat Hospital and Health Centre remains under a visiting restriction due to an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness, most likely a Norwalk-like virus.

Physicians and other NH offices in Kitimat continue to see high levels of the illness in the community. NH is providing the following recommendations to limit new cases in the hospital:

Patients with urgent or emergent health needs should go to the hospital emergency room, which is open and will continue to accept patients;
Patients with non-emergent health needs should see their family doctor rather than visiting the hospital’s emergency room; and
Visitors should avoid the acute care unit altogether.

Kitimat Hospital staff members have worked very hard to maintain services amid staffing shortages. Housekeeping staff members have provided exceptional service through the outbreak. Stepped-up infection control measures are helping to contain the spread of the illness. Staff members have sent samples to the BC Centre for Disease control for confirmation, although all signs point to a Norwalk-like virus.

The illness has infected a total of 18 staff and six admitted patients, although many of those people have recovered from it.

NH will lift the visiting restriction once the facility has had no new cases for 48 hours. The earliest that the visiting restriction could be lifted is Thursday morning. NH will provide further updates as they become available.