Worried Quebecers are scrambling to the doors of the newly designated COVID-19 clinic, barely open, in the former emergency room of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Montreal. In less than two days, more than 40 patients passed through the facility.
“We want to avoid contamination, protect customers from [autres] emergencies and avoid unnecessary overload [pour les employés] Said Liette Bernier, director of general services and urban partnerships at the Center universitaire universitaire du Center-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
The clinic says it is ready to receive up to 80 patients a day. It is used for coronavirus screening, for people who have symptoms.
Make an appointment
However, you must call the Info-Santé line at 811 to get an appointment before going there. Patients return home after sampling to await the results, which will take 24 to 48 hours.
Despite numerous visits, the results so far are still four Quebecers infected with COVID-19 and a fifth “probable case”, according to the Ministry of Health.
Two other similar clinics will open their doors in the coming days, in Longueuil and Quebec City.
1. Unlimited disinfectant
Photo Agence QMI, Mario Beauregard
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Upon arrival, patients should wash their hands, put on a mask, and confirm that they have made an appointment after calling 811.
Multiple hand sanitizer dispensers punctuate the patient journey, particularly at the entrance and exit of elevators. They are invited to wash your hands frequently.
Photo Agence QMI, Mario Beauregard
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In the waiting room, a receptionist is behind a window. He takes information from the visitor, without touching his sun card, and communicates by walkie-talkie with the healthcare team.
2. Contactless welcome
Screenshot, TVA Nouvelles
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“Both staff and users are protected,” said Liette Bernier, of the CIUSSS du Center-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
Ten individual cubicles are available for waiting — and the clinic has six examination rooms.
These places are disinfected after each patient. They are also invited to come alone to the clinic.
“As soon as a patient sits down, it’s disinfected,” she says.
If a cordon bleu closes a cubicle, it’s because it still hasn’t been disinfected.
3. The rooms disinfected after each patient
Photo Agence QMI, Mario Beauregard
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When their turn comes, the patient enters through a door into the examination room, while the medical staff enters through another.
The employee, wearing a dust jacket, an N95 mask, gloves and a visor, take the required samples from the mouth and nose to screen for coronavirus.
Once the exam is complete, staff must follow a specific protocol for removing the equipment without contamination and then disposing of it.
Photo Agence QMI, Mario Beauregard
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On site, there is always at least a doctor, a nurse and a nursing assistant from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., confirmed those in charge of the clinic.
4. Take away kit
Photo Agence QMI, Mario Beauregard
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The patient then leaves the clinic with a pencil case containing masks, gloves and a guide to follow at home, pending its results, which will determine whether or not he has COVID-19.
Among the instructions concerning home isolation, it is recommended to stay alone in a room most of the time and to eat alone as well; disinfect the bathroom after each use and ventilate the home.
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