An Ontario long-term care home is grappling with a COVID-19 outbreak that has been worsening since it was declared in late June.
Halton Public Health declared an outbreak at Tansley Woods long-term care home in Burlington on June 28. As of Friday, the outbreak stood at 16 cases involving 14 residents and two team members.
The health unit also confirmed the outbreak includes the highly contagious Delta variant.
Schlegel Villages, which operates the home, said public health officials were onsite Friday for an “independent infection prevention and control audit.”
“The Village has added extra team members in the affected neighbourhoods and is doing everything possible to prevent any further infections and support everyone in the Village,” a statement from Schlegel said.
It is also not the first outbreak at the facility, having experienced one that was declared on Oct. 3, 2020.
In late May, the Ontario government announced all long-term care homes in the province will be mandated to put into place COVID-19 vaccine policies for staff.
According to a statement issued on May 31, every staff member under each facility’s policy will be required to show proof of vaccination for each dose, show medical documentation outlining why they aren’t vaccinated, or they will be required to go to an educational seminar that goes over the benefits of being inoculated and the risks of not receiving the vaccine.
— with files from Nick Westoll