LONDON, ONT. -- A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared in the acute medicine unit at Bluewater Health in Sarnia.

An outbreak is declared when two or more linked positive hospital-acquired cases happen within a 14-day period and there is evidence of transmission on a single unit.

Contact tracing is underway, and officials are now working to determine the next steps.

New admissions to the medicine program will be sent to the general medicine unit.

The emergency department remains open and scheduled appointments for clinics and surgeries have not been changed.