By Caitlin Brezinski

This is a test: Vic. Hospital Ebola ‘scare’ only a drill

Nov 21, 2014 | 5:39 PM

Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital didn’t want the public to know about a test of how its staff would respond to an Ebola scare until after it was over.

“We were testing how our staff would respond if somebody came in with something like Ebola,” said Doug Dahl, communications officer for Prince Albert Parkland Health Region.

The test was done without informing staff or physicians that it was a drill. 

“We were just very careful about not letting people know it was a test until it was over,” Dahl explained.

Despite the attempt to keep it quiet, the Friday test received a lot of attention from the public.

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In the absence of information, rumours quickly started to circulate about what was happening. These rumours included possible lockdown or Ebola scare.

Dahl said some parts of the drill went according to protocol and others needed some improvement but stressed that there was no actual risk or incident. 

“There wasn’t anybody in danger or anything like that today,” he said. 

According to Dahl, the Region will review the responses and evaluate what worked and what didn’t. 

In a news release late on Friday, Dahl emphasized there was no risk affiliated with the drill: “At no time was anyone in the Victoria Hospital exposed to the Ebola virus or a patient suspected of having Ebola.”

– with files from paNOW’s Chelsea Laskowski

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow