COVID-19 outbreak declared at Hamilton hospital’s special care nursery

Health officials are notifying the public of an outbreak of COVID-19 at a special care nursery at St. Joseph’s hospital in Hamilton.

The city says three healthcare providers who work at the unit tested positive for the virus.

Officials say one of the healthcare workers had no direct contact with patients and families, while the other two had either limited contact or contact while wearing a protective mask.

They say the staffers were not showing symptoms of the virus while working with the infants or their families.

The Special Care Nursery cares for babies who need extra support and monitoring for a number of different health reasons including premature babies and those with other health concerns requiring specialized care.

The nursery is located on the third floor of the Bishop Dowling Wing at the hospital’s Charlton campus.

Officials are working to track down anyone who had direct contact with the workers. The city says those people will be tested and “appropriate measures will be taken to limit transmission.”

So far, no babies or parents in the unit are symptomatic.

The hospital has created a separate space for infants who may have been exposed and a deep cleaning of the unit is taking place.

The city says the Special Care Nursery will continue to accept babies requiring care that are born at St. Joseph’s hospital.