Sault Ste. Marie's Group Health Centre is continuing to operate as the facility deals with a COVID-19 outbreak.
At this time, eight cases have been identified and high-risk contacts have been notified.
CEO Alexander Lambert said the outbreak affects the surgery and primary care department. As a result, non-urgent surgical procedures scheduled between Dec. 15 and 23 are being rescheduled. Other strategies to mitigate the risk of infection are also being employed.
"Adding things like virtual visits across primary care and specialty care," Lambert said.
"We've limited accompaniment to one individual to try to reduce waiting room congestion and reimplemented in some areas a parking lot kind of waiting room approach so that we don't have people backing up."
Vaccination rates at the Group Health Centre are high, the CEO said, and there haven't been other outbreaks at the centre since the beginning of the pandemic.
"It is the first one, which I think is notable," Lambert said.
"We're almost two years into the pandemic now and we've been open throughout providing care. So, kudos to the staff and management team for that, and the physicians."
According to officials at the Group Health Centre, 95 per cent of the more than 400 staff members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who are not must submit to regular rapid testing. They add those who aren't vaccinated for any reason other than medical must undergo an education session - and provide proof.
The number of active COVID-19 cases in the Algoma District is 260 as of 5:15 p.m. Wednesday and eight people are hospitalized with the disease. Since the pandemic began, there have been 1,552 positive cases and 17 people have died due to COVID-19.
