X-Message-Number: 21789
Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 01:15:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Christine Gaspar <>
Subject: SARS in Toronto...again

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Hi there Bruce.

 When we spoke this past evening, I really had no idea why you were called...now
 I do.

Apparantly, there was a cluster of 25 individuals who are being investigated for
SARS from our 4th floor- ortho. (North York General Hospital)  Also, one of 
these individuals was sent to St. John's Rehab, infecting four more patients. 
Then, a patient from St John's was sent back to our ER with respiratory 
problems, was intubated in our ER and sent to Scarborough Grace ICU, as our ICU 
was full.

So now, our hospital, having produced a gigantic cluster of SARS patients, 
having infected Scarborough Grace and St. John's is now closed. Our ER is closed
so as to not bring new patients in, and there will be no more transfers out. 
ALL of the staff from this hospital is under "work quarantine" until Saturday 
afternoon, when a decision will be made by public health as how we should 
proceed. This means that we can come to work, or stay home, under quarantine 
guidelines. This may be downgraded tomorrow. This is why you were called. They 
are trying to track down everyone who was in our hospital in the past two weeks 
or so, and advise them to be careful. The cluster was limited to that floor, and
to the emerg.,(from what they tell us, but they have been so dishonest all 
along, that I don't believe them anymore).

Last week, our staff were told that masks were optional, and so now we have the 
problem of having unmasked staff members during this outbreak. Incidentally, I 
never took my mask off. I, along with a few other nurses never trusted what they
were saying, and we kept ourselves in full gear.
Ha!

Well, I do not know what is going to happen in the next few days. All I know is 
that you should not believe what you hear. This problem, like I said before is 
not going away anytime soon.
Christine Gaspar

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