Staff at Caressant Care Nursing Home in Lindsay, Ont. are under enormous pressure.
As of Friday, the home on McLaughlin Road reported 35 active cases – 20 residents, and 15 staff. The home has 96 beds.
Global News Peterborough learned of the large case count on Thursday, following an email to the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit. The unit had reported a single day record of 40 new cases that afternoon, 35 of which were in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
An outbreak had been declared at Caressant McLaughlin on Jan. 9, after a single case was discovered via routine testing.
Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Gemmill says the situation at the home is currently under control.
“Having had conversations with the management, I feel that they very sincerely want to put this behind them as quickly as they can, and so everybody is doing their very level best,” Gemmill told Global on Friday.
“There’s no stone being left unturned here. I do believe that things are controlled, but we’re not out of the woods until we can declare it over.”
Despite the record jump on Thursday, Gemmill says some of the cases at the home were recorded earlier in the week. Gemmill also said all the residents who’ve tested positive were isolated, and all the ill staff have been isolating at home.
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In a document posted on their website, CC Mclaughlin revealed that they have asked for extra hands.
“CC McLaughlin Road has requested assistance from Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, Ross Memorial Hospital and the Central East LHIN to help manage the outbreak,” Caressant Care stated. “Staff from Ross Memorial Hospital have volunteered to work alongside Caressant Care staff to help with housekeeping, infection control measure, and, where necessary, provide direct resident care.”
A contractor will also give the facility a deep clean bi-weekly, according to the document.
Global News Peterborough was denied comment by CC McLaughlin on Friday, but received an email response from head office in Woodstock, Ont. outlining some answers.
Stuart Oakley told Global that all residents’ families have been contacted, and that “the home has daily calls with representatives from Public Health, The LHIN and MLTC.”
Oakley and Gemmill also said residents are tested every five days per provincial guidelines, and both staff and residents are screened for symptoms twice a day.
Gemmill says all infection prevention control measures are in place at the home.
Meanwhile, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit reports 13 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, a drop from the daily record 40 reported 24 hours earlier.
The bulk of the new cases were in the City of Kawartha Lakes with 10, along with two new cases in Northumberland County and one in Haliburton County, according to the update issued at 1:30 p.m.
A breakdown of cases was not available. Thursday’s surge in cases was attributed to the ongoing outbreak at Caressant Care, according to the health unit.
The health unit is also dealing with eight other active coronavirus outbreaks at the following places:
- Warkworth Place long-term care in Warkworth (declared Jan. 17 – one resident death, two staff test positive).
- Hope Street Terrace long-term care in Port Hope (declared Jan. 1 – two resident deaths, 16 other residents and 15 staff members test positive)
- Golden Plough Lodge long-term care in Cobourg (declared Jan. 15 – one staff member)
- Tower of Hope in Port Hope (declared Jan. 12 – one resident tests positive)
- Canadian Centre for Addictions in Port Hope (declared Jan. 15, no case details available)
- Maplewood retirement home in Brighton in Northumberland County (declared Jan. 9)
- Island Park Retirement Residence in Campbellford (one staff member; declared Jan. 8)
- Fenelon Court long-term care in Fenelon Falls (one staff member; declared Jan. 8)
The new cases increase the overall number of cases to 788, which consists of 46 in Haliburton County, 387 in the City of Kawartha Lakes and 355 in Northumberland County.
There were also six resolved cases reported Friday, leaving 107 active cases overall, which includes seven in Haliburton County, 60 in the Kawarthas and 40 in Northumberland. The health unit notes case data is subject to change due to further case investigation, reassignment and/or data cleaning.
Of the 788 cases since the pandemic was declared, 652 are now resolved — approximately 83 per cent.
Since the pandemic’s beginning, there have been 42 COVID-19-related deaths, which includes 36 in the City of Kawartha Lakes — 28 associated with the outbreak at Pinecrest Nursing Home in the spring of 2020. There have been six deaths in Northumberland County.
A new hospitalized case was reported in the City of Kawartha Lakes Friday. There have been 30 hospitalized cases since the pandemic was declared: 21 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, eight in Northumberland County and one in Haliburton County.
— More to come.
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