CORNWALL, Ontario – The Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) is reporting that for the first time since the spring of 2020 it is not treating any active COVID-19 patients.
“We have reached this point because our community has been working hard to follow effective public health measures to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect our healthcare system,” said Jeanette Despatie, President and CEO of CCH.
At the height of the third wave of the pandemic this past April, there were 19 COVID-19 patients at the CCH.
In addition to having no patients, the COVID-19 assessment centre that is located at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on the CCH’s campus is also reporting a two-week COVID-19 positivity rate of zero per cent.
This success is partially thanks to the vaccination efforts of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) The CCH has helped to distribute over 10,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and over 80 per cent of adults in the region have had at least one dose.
While this news is encouraging, as long as there continues to be community transmission of the virus, the CCH expects to admit more COVID-19 patients in the future.
“The COVID-19 patients we’ve been caring for, young and old, have mostly been unvaccinated individuals. Now that the vaccines are widely available, we encourage people to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Although our situation has improved, the virus still exists and we are beginning to see more contagious variants such as Delta,” said Despatie. “It’s been a long year and a half, let’s take a moment to celebrate and be proud of the progress we’ve made. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter,” she added.
