In two separate incidents, two of my children developed stomach issues (nausea, vomiting, loose motions). Each time I went to the ER at Trafalgar Memorial Hospital in Oakville, the triage nurse assured me that she was certain they had COVID. These nurses, who are not qualified diagnosticians but rather medical workers tasked with determining the level of emergency of incoming patients, are taking a risk by diagnosing someone with COVID based on two isolated symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea that might be underlying symptoms of a wide range of illnesses.
In the end, neither of my children was diagnosed with COVID and were discharged with gastroenteritis, which required symptomatic treatment and oral rehydration. The appointments were two months apart, and both triage nurses gave me the identical explanation, which makes me wonder whether this is their regular procedure: if you demonstrate any of the symptoms associated with COVID, you are automatically designated a COVID patient. This isn’t triaging, and it’s certainly not medicine. Trafalgar Hospital, you might do a better job of training your medical staff on how to communicate and how far they can express themselves.