An Orillia long term care home will now be implementing outbreak protocols after it was discovered a person working at the home tested positive for COVID-19.
“We now have an individual who worked at a long term care facility while they were infectious,” said SMDHU medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner, adding the individual worked at Spencer House in Orillia. “We consider any long-term care facility with a single case to be in an outbreak.”
Gardner would not provide any more information on the health care worker from Spencer House. He said the result was new information for the health unit and they are still doing their investigation.
Gardner said the SMDHU plays a role in implementing and monitoring outbreak protocols at long-term care homes and will do so for Spencer House.
In addition to performing a site visit, the health unit will also ensure Spencer House has a sufficient number of swabs to test all symptomatic residents and staff, said Gardner. SMDHU will also follow up with the lab to expedite test results from the long-term care facility.
"We make sure there's availability and use of personal protective equipment by the staff to prevent spread, and that cases are isolated," said Gardner.
The health unit will also make sure there are no group activities or visitors at the facility and that there is enhanced disinfection and strong surveillance of cases.
"We also ensure appropriate reporting to the Ministry of Health," said Gardner.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is now reporting 62 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region.
There are 11 hospitalized cases and four deaths in the region attributed to the virus. There are 12 recoveries being reported by the health unit and there are still 29 people confirmed positive for the virus who are self-isolating.
Among the information provided today from the health unit is another three cases reported in Barrie, one woman in her 30s is self-isolating and appears to have contracted the virus through community transmission. A Barrie man in his 60s, also a community transmission case, is hospitalized. The third Barrie case is a woman in her 40s who is a close contact of a known case and is self-isolating at home.
A Bradford West Gwillimbury man in his 70s has been hospitalized, and his case is a case of community transmission.
The other two cases, which were reported yesterday without details include a Springwater man in his 60s who is self-isolating. His case is related to travel to Trinidad. There is also a woman in her 20s from New Tecumseth who is self-isolating. She was a close contact of a known case.
There are five cases with all information still pending.
The total cases by community are as follows:
Collingwood (1), Barrie (13), Orillia (7), Springwater (3), Clearview (2), New Tecumseth (7), Adjala-Tosorontio (1), Bradford West Gwillimbury (7), Essa (2), Innisfil (1), Wasaga Beach (1) Midland (2), Oro-Medonte (2), Tiny (1), Ramara (1), Gravenhurst (3) and Huntsville (3). The remaining four cases are still under investigation with information pending.
