Coronavirus: 2 new cases in Northumberland County including at Cobourg seniors’ apartment

A resident of a seniors apartment complex in Cobourg has tested positive for COVID-19, officials reported Wednesday.

According to Sherry Gibson, executive director of Branch 133 Legion Village, a resident tested positive and is currently in quarantine. Gibson says the woman had recently been out of Ontario on vacation.

The apartment complex offers rent-geared-to-income housing for seniors.

It’s one of two new novel coronavirus cases in Northumberland County, according to the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit on Wednesday.

Only essential visitors are permitted into the building, according to signage at the facility on Hibernia Street.

“We have word from the HKPRDHU that we are not in outbreak,” Gibson told Global News Peterborough. “The one resident is an isolated case and was immediately quarantined in her own apartment so (she’s) deemed low risk. Praise to staff for handling the situation properly and maintaining a high level of cleanliness in the building.

“That, together with the processes we have implemented and maintained from mid-March, have put us in a good position to deal with this.”

Gibson said Legion Village residents will have enhanced surveillance by staff until cleared by the health unit.

“I’d like to reassure the community that we take our responsibility to our residents, staff and the general public very seriously so until further notice, no visitors will be allowed into the building, however essential visits (from healthcare partners and caregivers, palliative care) will continue to take place,” she said.

There are now 43 cases in Northumberland County, of which 35 are resolved (one more since Monday’s update). Seven cases are active. Three cases required hospitalized care. The first COVID-19 death in the county occurred on Sept. 8 — a woman in her 80s whose case was reported on Aug. 26.

0:42 Staff at Cobourg’s Legion Village dance the blues away

Overall, the health unit now reports 235 cases of which 209 are resolved.

The City of Kawartha Lakes leads the case count with 178, of which 159 are resolved. There are no active cases. Eleven cases required hospitalization.

In the municipality, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 32 residents, 28 of them associated with a springtime outbreak at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon.

All 15 cases in Haliburton County have been resolved. One of the cases required hospitalized care, and there have been no deaths.

Current high-risk contacts (defined as asymptomatic individuals who are known to have been in contact with a confirmed or probable case) are as follows:

• One in the City of Kawartha Lakes (down from six reported on Monday)
• Four in Northumberland County (unchanged since Monday)
• Three in Haliburton County (up from one reported on Monday)

1:47 Lindsay COVID-19 drive-thru test centre remains busy