Georgian Bay General Hospital in Midland wants to remind the community to please avoid visiting the Emergency department if they are experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, sore throat, congestion, fatigue, and aches.
The hospital says it is once again seeing an increase in Emerg visits among COVID positive patients, particularly those with mild symptoms.
“GBGH’s Emergency department is always here for you if you’re ill or injured,” says Dr. Vikram Ralhan, chief of staff and Emergency physician, GBGH. “To ensure those who are sick or injured can be seen in a timely manner, we ask people to carefully consider if they need to visit the ED. If you think you have COVID-19 and are not experiencing symptoms, or have mild symptoms similar to a cold, please avoid coming to the ED. COVID-19 positive people visiting the hospital seeking treatment for mild symptoms puts other vulnerable patients at risk of exposure to the virus.”
For mild symptoms, patients are advised to stay home, isolate and monitor their symptoms in case they worsen. Visiting the Emergency department with mild symptoms causes delays care for patients with more severe illness.
Additionally, GBGH is reminding the public the hospital and its Emergency department is not a COVID-19 testing site. Those who have mild or no symptoms should not attend the Emergency department for a test. If someone is symptomatic they should assume they are positive, regardless of a test result, and isolate from others.
GBGH reminding community to avoid visiting Emergency Room for mild COVID-19 symptoms: https://t.co/1kjFWBRGQ7
— Georgian Bay General Hospital (@GBGHMidland) April 12, 2022