New deaths in Hamilton’s worst outbreaks at Grace Villa, Shalom Village and Chartwell Willowgrove
Hamilton's long-term-care outbreaks grew increasingly deadly on Thursday.
Shalom Village reported two more deaths, bringing the home to 18 deaths as of Dec. 30. The Macklin Street home with the city's second-biggest outbreak now has 170 cases, up from 162. That includes 71 staff, 91 residents, three caregivers and five individuals" who are in hospital, according to the facility.
Of those, there are 78 active cases, including 49 resident and 29 staff cases, according to the province.
The outbreak at Chartwell Willowgrove in Ancaster continued to have the second-highest number of deaths. One new death was reported by the city as of Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. A total of 19 people have now died since the outbreak was declared Oct. 22.
However, the deaths at Shalom occurred much faster than they did at Chartwell Willowgrove. The Ancaster home had its first 17 deaths by Nov. 29, which was 39 days into the outbreak. The 18th death occurred 19 days later - 48 days into the outbreak - on Dec. 8. The latest death marks 70 days since the outbreak began.
By contrast, Shalom Village has had 18 deaths in 22 days - in about half the time it took Chartwell Willowgrove to record 17 deaths.
The total number of cases at Chartwell Willowgrove remains at 101, with fewer than 10 active cases according to the province. That includes five resident cases.
By far the biggest and most deadly outbreak continues to be at Grace Villa long-term-care home. One new death was reported as of Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. That's 38 deaths in the 36 days since the outbreak was declared on Nov. 25.
One new case was reported at Grace Villa, bringing the total to 225. That includes 143 resident and 82 staff cases. Of those, 76 resident and nine staff cases are active, for a total of 85.
The province authorized local hospitals to temporarily take over management at both Grace Villa and Shalom Village. Both homes told The Spectator on Wednesday that they did not need further outside help, including from the Red Cross.
Hamilton Health Sciences is managing Grace Villa. SEIU Healthcare previously called for an air-quality inspection at the home to determine if the virus was spreading through ventilation.
The Ministry of Labour has completed the inspection, said Mary Raithby, CEO of APANS Health Services on Wednesday.
At this time, we have been advised that scientific evidence does not indicate that transmission of COVID-19 occurs via HVAC systems," she said in an email.
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton is managing Shalom Village. About 40 St. Joe's staff are involved in the home, although the number fluctuates as we assess and reassess our needs daily," said an email from Laurie Pringle, communications director for Shalom Village Foundation.
Pringle said St. Joe's is providing cleaning, nursing and PSW support to Shalom, along with training, PPE and infection control.
In a town hall this week, Shalom Village's CEO said a St. Joe's nurse is serving as the home's director of care following the previous director's resignation. Amanda Weatherston, a registered nurse and manager for St. Joe's COVID response team for congregate settings, is taking up the role while the home finds a permanent replacement.
Weatherston will be responsible for managing nursing, resident care, policy and quality assurance, as well as human resources, said Pringle.
Maria Iqbal's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories focused on aging issues. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com.