COVID-19 detected in fourth long-term care facility in Haldimand-Norfolk

COVID-19 has landed at a fourth long-term care facility in Haldimand-Norfolk, as two asymptomatic residents of Norfolk Hospital Nursing Home in Simcoe tested positive earlier this week.

The news follows recent reports of single COVID-19 cases among residents at Cedar Crossing Retirement Home in Simcoe and Parkview Meadows Christian Retirement Village in Townsend. Two Parkview Meadows staff and an employee at Caressant Care Courtland were also found to have the disease.

How the virus is getting into these facilities is unclear, said Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Haldimand-Norfolk's chief medical officer of health.

That's always the conundrum," he said. Sometimes we're able to identify a clear factor ... but sometimes we don't have a clear idea. Those are always more perplexing."

Nesathurai said it is difficult to track a disease that can be spread by a single cough.

Retirement and long-term care homes in the two counties have been closed to visitors for months, but staff members come and go, and Nesathurai noted that residents sometimes have to leave to seek medical treatment elsewhere.

It's also possible that an unauthorized visitor" could unwittingly bring the virus into the building, he added.

Sometimes we just have to accept we'll never get a clear answer," he said.

Regardless of how the virus arrives, once it is detected the procedure at each home has been the same - order fresh tests for all residents and staff, isolate residents in their rooms, including for meals, and have staff wear full personal protective equipment.

If there's a single person in a retirement home or nursing home who's positive, we take the most assertive steps," Nesathurai said.

Infection control measures have been in place for months at Anson Place in Hagersville, where a COVID-19 outbreak has accounted for 27 of the 31 deaths in Haldimand-Norfolk that the health unit has conclusively linked to the virus.

As the active caseload at Anson Place continues to trend downward, Nesathurai is confident that the outbreak - which has seen at least 72 residents and 30 employees infected - is under control.

Anson Place overall is turning the corner, and I hope to continue to have positive signals related to their outbreak," he said.

The health unit itself has been affected by the disease, with an employee working at the health unit office in Simcoe testing positive. In a media release issued Wednesday evening, the health unit said the affected employee is self-isolating at home, as are their close contacts as they await the results of their tests.

The employee's workspace and adjacent desks have been deep cleaned, as have the washrooms and eating areas inside the health unit.

This is the second COVID-19 case at the health unit, which had an employee quarantine in April after testing positive.

Overall there have been 207 lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Haldimand-Norfolk, with 31 deaths and 89 patients officially recovered. The health unit considers the remaining 87 cases unresolved.

In total, the health unit has conducted 3,013 tests as of Thursday morning, with 2,806 coming back negative.

The health unit and a dozen paramedics from both counties have joined forces to form a swab task force" to test vulnerable residents, including homebound seniors, people on waiting lists for long-term care homes - who must be tested prior to admission - and people with development disabilities living in congregate settings.

We're proud to be playing a key role in helping Haldimand and Norfolk stop the spread of COVID-19, specifically amongst those most vulnerable to respiratory illness," said Sarah Page, Norfolk's chief of paramedic services.

J.P. Antonacci's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.