Staff member is self-isolating at home.

THUNDER BAY – An employee at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has tested positive for COVID-19.

Hospital officials confirmed the diagnosis on Friday, stating the unidentified staff member is isolating at home

“First thing this morning we were notified of a positive health-care support worker who has had a number of shifts within our facility and certainty at this point in time our staff member is doing quite well,” said Dr. Stewart Kennedy, the hospital's lead on its COVID-19 response team.

Kennedy said the employee has been in touch with both the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and hospital administration to try to determine who they might have been in contact with since becoming infected with the virus.

"Certainly at this time I would like to reassure the hospital staff that the exposure to other staff and patients is very minimal with our initial investigations, which will continue," Kennedy said.

"This is not unexpected. We know in some case reports 30 per cent of health-care workers can get this disease transmitted to them. The vast majority have a good, positive outcome. But this again heightens the anxiety with our hospital workers, with our health-care workers, in all facilities, not only here at Thunder Bay Regional Hospital, but certainly throughout other long-term care facilities and in other facilities in Northwestern Ontario."

Kennedy called it a difficult reality, but something for which hospital officials have prepared.

It was inevitable, Kennedy said.

"That does not make our job any easier, but certainly we are prepared for that."

The hospital is in the midst of preparing ward 3A to be an isolated COVID-19 unit, where confirmed and presumptive patients will be housed during the ongoing pandemic. The Thunder Bay District has 25 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Friday afternoon.

Kennedy said there's a quiet confidence among staff members that they're ready to accept more virus patients and challenges they might face.

At present there are three confirmed cases at the hospital, as well as an additional 18 presumptive cases.

The hospital did not disclose the infected staff member's job title