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10 stouffville suntribune thursday april 17 2003 we have to be vigilant residents should feel safe using hospital president drhanif kassam acting medical officer of health from page 1 over i suspect we will continue to see more cases dr kassam said yesterday yes i am concerned i dont want to raise alarm bells but i do want to make people aware they should take this seri ously he was responding to the discovery of about 30 members of the bukas sa diyos catholic community in torontowho have probable or suspect ed cases of sars several members of the congregation are york residents stop hunting for eggs weve got everything you need when you need it opengood friday for ail your last minute heeds chocolate candy gifts gift giving everything for easter convenience foods at- mainhwy48 5710 main st unit 3 stouffville 9056402700 drug mart about 500 members of the church are now in quarantine unfortunately there has been some transmission of sars from what im aware in the community said dr kassam adding york has had 48 proba ble cases of sars including three deaths and 32 suspected cases about 350 people remain in quarantine j there will likely be further trans mission we have to be vigilant the public is a stakeholder in all mis he stressed the need for people to quarantine themselves if necessary and refrain from going out in public if they feel ill from any condition that can be passed on toothers dr kassam is hoping the police investigation into a hewlett packard employee who reported for work despite being directed by public health to stay at home will wrap up next week im riot the type of person who likes to penalize people im here to protect the health of the public whatever charges that are going to be laid are going to be laid by police dr maclean stressed residents should feel safe seeking treatment at markham stouffville because the entire emergency room has been cleaned and disinfected staff have removed every- 1 1 thing that is not absolutely necessary to reduce the chance of surface contami nation staff members have undergone additional training in the protocol for dealing with incoming patients includ ing gowning gloving and masking tech niques weve gone through everything start to finish dr maclean said he added the hospital has also reviewed the num ber of shifts staff should work in a row the number of hours per shift and revised patient- tostaff ratio to ensure optimum working conditions for staff dr maclean noted his hospital intends to resume day surgeries diag nostic testing and outpatient procedures as early as next tuesday increasing serv ices slowly over the next few weeks we wouldnt put these measures in place unless we felt it was perfectly safe he said the two hospital employees are believed to be the first health care work ers to contract the disease after the widespread use of protective gear was made mandatory last month dr kassam downplayed the risk to hospital staff i think it is concerning but at this point in time its just these two individ uals he added his department is continu ing its investigation to pinpoint exactly how the staff contracted the disease while using precautions but admitted the workers may have been so exhaust ed they made a mistake and he assured patients and staff neither worker was exhibiting symp- toms while on duty so its unlikely they spread the illness to other staff or hospi tal patients we wouldnt put these v measures in place unless we felt if was perfectly safe with the closure of two hospitals serving this area scarborough grace and york gentral in richmond hill markham stouffville has taken the brunt of the overflow in addition to car ing for a high number of sars patients within the facility it has ben very stressful but i cant say enough about how great the staff hasbeen dr maclean said there are 13 sars patients at markham stouffville including four staff members two of whom were infected through the original cluster of cases at scarborough grace hospital three patients remain in intensive care two are improving but one is very sick dr maclean said meanwhile ontarios health minister has refused comment on the fact pro tective measures were not enough to stop the transmission of sars to the markham stouffville staffers tony clements press secretary paul cantin said while the minister is more than aware of how important and how seriously this new development should be taken his schedule did not allow time to address the fears of healthcare workers and their families despite heightened concerns dr maclean reminded residents the risk of contracting sars in the community is still extremely low s a month at 69 this alone is worth 699 a month what price would you pay for complete peace of mind for a rigid frame that preserves trie mclass cabin upon impact for highly advanced front and rear crumple zones as pioneered only by mercedesbenz and for 3point seatbelts for every occupant and fulllength head protection curtains that amount supposedly 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