SARS in Toronto!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hey I just saw on the news that a thousand people have been quarentined at a hospital in Toronto!

Do you all know anything about this?

I hope our Toronto members are alright.

Is this virus realy something to be worried about or is it kind of being hyped like the shark attack thing?

Paul

Specializes in Critical Care.

Holy Cow, I just came home from spending 3 days in Niagra Falls, Ontario, I sure hope no one in the casinos was infected!!! Geeze it was bad enough we lost a grand but that is just too much to think about!!! Wendy, It is time for you to just say NO, you were not happy on the day shift anyway, and since you are back in school and planning on finding a new job when you graduate it might be time to just stay home for awhile. Hopefully you will stay safe and we can catch up in the chat room. Take care.

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Specializes in ICU.

Wendy, sweetie...I think you should stay home. I'm glad you posted as I was thinking of you.

There are four suspect cases in Vancouver now.

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this is going to get worse before it gets better. hope my fellow nurses in to are healthy and coping.

here are more links

second gta hospital shut

http:http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-29-0002.html

disease panic growing

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-29-0004.html

hotlines flooded

http://www.canoe.ca/torontnonews/ts.ts-03-29-0035.html

this one upset me very much

yankee's have 'new friend' in virus

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-29-0036.html

ailing flyers urged to stay

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-29-0037.html

asian stores bitten

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-29-0043.html

asian cases sore

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-29-0045.html

isolation 2 buffalo players

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-30-0005.html

sars evolving:experts

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-30-0006.html

lending hand

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-30-0007.html

treating people gets scary too

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-30-0009.html

patient zero

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-30-0024.html

to's trail of disease

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-30-0026.html

chinese stores hit hard by fears

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-30-0027.html

drs. harder to see

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-30-0028.html

sorry there are so many i've labeled them so you could pick and chose which you want to review

i hope everyone is well

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This might be something to consider if you are pregnant.

Women risk deformed babies from SARS TREATMENT!

quote:

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The South China Morning Post reported on Sunday that Hong Kong doctors had warned women treated for SARS that they should not try to conceive for the next six months as any foetus could be deformed.

Ribavirin, one of the drugs used to treat the illness, could have side effects on foetuses under 16 weeks and the risk was reduced only after the 28th week of pregnancy, they said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissi...143&sid=1730157

more discussion at this forum: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64513

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:( ontario nurses "pretty stressed"

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-31-0005.html

fourth victim dies

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-31-0004.html

sick kids cut back access

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-31-0024.html

isolated and bored

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-30-31-0025.html

new brunswick principal suspected case

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-31-0026.html

plenty of masks

http://www.canoe.ca/torontonews/ts.ts-03-31-0027.html

cdc pretends to have everything under control.(lol) if they could stick to one story prehaps it could be believed.

first they say it is only spread through direct contact. oops prehaps it is airborne. o by the way no one panic we have itunder control:(

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This reminds me of when AIDS was first diagnosed & there were doctors and nurses who refused to go near the patients.

And a thread here about terrorist spraying of smallpox or botulism, etc. Nearly everyone said they would respond to the medical communitys calls for nurses to come to the hospital and help with the victims, re: "decontaminating them."

I was one of the ones who said I wasn't going...and was I ever fflamed !

Wendy, I'd get out my credit cards and stay home --quit the job-- if I was scared of it. And , right now, I'm scared of it.

You may wind up staying home & living on credit cards for a couple of months.

Or go to work, gown up, etc. and take a big bottle of clorox.

From what I am reading, the causative agent "could" be infectious on doorKnobs and elevator buttons for up to 3-6 hours. No way you can sterilize every thing in the hospitall.

What do you think? Why not call in sick for a couple-three days til you get more info about it. Are the docs going in to see the patients? If they are actually at the bedside, I'd probably go in.

If they are calling from home for labs, status reports, >>>I'd stay home too.

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Originally posted by BadBird

Holy Cow, I just came home from spending 3 days in Niagra Falls, Ontario, I sure hope no one in the casinos was infected!!! Geeze it was bad enough we lost a grand but that is just too much to think about!!! Wendy, It is time for you to just say NO, you were not happy on the day shift anyway, and since you are back in school and planning on finding a new job when you graduate it might be time to just stay home for awhile. Hopefully you will stay safe and we can catch up in the chat room. Take care.

Don't say that! I will be there in 5 weeks!

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guys I am sitting here in my N95 mask right now , almost hypoxic and feeling lightheaded

I'm living this SARS thing ..and its not fun..

very scary, we go in through a specific area, half the staff I work with are sent to the SARS unit our hospital was MANDATED by the government to create while half of us try to struggle with our patient loads on our unit . Thankfully I didnt have to go to the SARS unit because of my immune status , however I believe that the people working on the SARS unit are potentially safer ......why?

because they have had the proper masks gowns etc from day one while we have not. they KNOW they are dealing with SARS patients, while we deal with the unknown, and they are fully decontaminated when they are ready to leave, change of gown gloves mask uniform the whole nine yards

I dont know what to believe ,but I can tell you , that I'm not loving work right now

yet I come because a. Many nurses are already off with suspected SARS or on home quarantine, and b.my staying home , at this point, does not decrease my risk , why? because I have gone four courses at another hospital (also with confirmed cases of SARS), and the CDC is not even sure HOW this virus is spread ... it may very well live on surfaces etc for hours..

I will come to work, take all the precautions that I have to , and hope and pray that this thing ENDS SOON

we have had 2 more SARS deaths here as of yesterday, please say a prayer for EVERYONE

I know I am..

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Wendy my hopes and prayers are with you and all nurses and health staff working through this. I hope you remain well.

I am not currently working,so I can't say first hand what you are all going through.

My stress level is up so I can't imagine how you feel.

Hopefully you will get answers sooner than later.

Here are somemore links

SARS takes toll on kids

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-01-0003.html

Passengers land in masks,gloves

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-01-0004.html

194 York students face quarantine

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-01-0005.html

Stupid or Safe

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-01-0009.html

2 more deaths in TO

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-02-0002.html

Virus Trail

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-02-0003.html

Toronto Disease Expert Isolated

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-02-0004.html

Hospital keeps it simple

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-02-0006.html

Flight staff nix Asia

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-02-0007.html

Fighting Flu Fever Fear

http://ww.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-02-04-0008.html

Jail break eyed

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-02-04-0057.html

Disease panic spread in Asia

http://ww.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-02-04-0060.html

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Update:

-the main doctor doing research is under quarantee

-there is a hiring freeze

-nurses can either work in the community or in the hospital ( cant have both jobs - either work in the hospital or in the community)

-heard the courses held at hospitals are cancelled indefinitly

-looks like its going to be months before things settle down

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I work in ICU. I work in an Ontario hospital, about 2 hours from Toronto.

I think we need to keep our heads. I think people that post telling people to "stay home" and "refuse to go in" or to "quit" are being irresponsbile.

We need to take precautions, yes. We also need to focus on our professional responsiblity.

In my opinion, nurses of complain of not being taken seriously. Other nurses complain that we are not seen as professionals....well, with that in mind, would people be posting and telling docs to stay home or to quit their jobs?

I think all of us knew when we got involved in health care that certain risks apply. Certainly in critical care areas, like the one I work in, are at high risk for numerous things.

Don't misunderstand me. A healthy respect for SARS is in order. Right now we are required to work in FULL garb- face mask, goggles, gloves and gowns..... for our full 12 hour shift.

Let's keep our collective PROFESSIONAL heads about us.

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