Public health officials in Hamilton, Ont., say they are monitoring a long-term care home on the mountain after an employee test positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday.
The city says the case was discovered after recent testing among residents and workers at the Grace Villa long-term care home on Lockton Crescent near the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway.
Although not officially an outbreak, public health officials revealed the home is undergoing outbreak protocols as per city guidelines.
“Based on a single result in an asymptomatic individual received from mass testing, and out of an abundance of caution, Grace Villa has decided to follow outbreak protocol, ” Dr. Bart Harvey, Associate Medical Officer of Health, told Global News in a statement, “The status of this situation is still under investigation and further testing of that individual is being done.”
In mid-May, an outbreak was declared at Grace Villa after two employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
It was one of 12 outbreaks at nine long-term care homes in the city at the time.
That outbreak was declared over the following week.
Hamilton reports 11 new COVID-19 cases on the weekend
On Monday, Hamilton public health reported 11 new COVID-19 cases from the weekend which puts the city’s overall total of cases since the pandemic began at 866, with 858 confirmed and eight probable.
The city has no current institutional outbreaks.
To date, 797 of the city’s known COVID-19 cases — 92 per cent — have been resolved.
There were no new reported deaths on the weekend. The city has 44 total coronavirus-related deaths with 34 connected to an institutional outbreak.
On Monday, the province announced that Hamilton will remain in stage two as a number of other regions move to stage three of the COVID-19 re-opening plan on Friday.
Niagara Region reports 9 new COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths
Niagara public health officials reported nine more coronavirus cases on the weekend and two more deaths. The region has 779 total cases, with 24 of them active.
The region reported two new deaths, but did not reveal whether the deceased was connected to the long-term care home or from a community-based case.
The region has three institutional outbreaks at the Garden City Manor, Linhaven, and Tabor Manor long-term care homes in St. Catharines.
Eighty-eight per cent (691) of Niagara’s cases have been resolved.
On Monday, the province announced that Niagara will remain in stage two as a number of other regions move to stage three of the COVID-19 re-opening plan on Friday.
Haldimand-Norfolk reports no new COVID-19 cases
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit (HNHU) reported no new COVID-19 cases from the weekend on Monday. Overall, since the pandemic began in March, the region has seen 444 lab-confirmed, positive cases.
Officials say 396 of those patients have since recovered.
The region has 32 COVID-19-connected deaths with 27 tied to residents at Anson Place Care Centre, a nursing home, in Hagersville.
On Monday, the province announced that both Haldimand and Norfolk counties will remain in stage two as a number of other regions move to stage three of the COVID-19 re-opening plan on Friday.
Halton Region reports 6 new COVID-19 cases
Halton Region reported six new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The region has 875 cases, including 794 confirmed positive and 81 probable cases.
The region still has 25 deaths tied to COVID-19 as of July 13, with 12 the result of an outbreak at an institution.
Public health says 809 cases, or more than 92 per cent, have been resolved.
The region has no institutional outbreaks as of Monday.
The province announced on July 13 that Halton region will remain at stage two as a number of other regions move to stage three of the COVID-19 re-opening plan on Friday.
Seventy-nine of Halton’s total cases are connected to residents or patients in an institution.
Brant County reports eight new COVID-19 case
Brant County’s health unit (BCHU) reported eight new COVID-19 cases from the weekend on Monday. The region has 133 total confirmed cases as of July 13.
The county still has four deaths, with 119 total resolved cases. There are no COVID-19 patients currently in hospital.
The region reported its second outbreak at Briarwood Gardens Long-Term Care & Retirement Home on Saturday where one staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The home had a previous outbreak that started at the end of April and ended in mid-May.
Brant County will move into stage three of the province’s COVID-19 re-opening plan on Friday. The directive means most businesses and public spaces will now be able to open with “appropriate health and safety measures in place,” the province said in a release on Monday.
Amusement parks, buffets, restaurants and bars with dancing, overnight camps for children, karaoke rooms, sports events with prolonged contact, saunas, steam rooms, bath houses, oxygen bars, as well as casinos and gaming establishments will not be permitted to operate in stage three.
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