WELLINGTON COUNTY – With COVID outbreaks once again appearing in seniors’ care homes, one facility is dealing with half of their residents having the virus.
According to WDG Public Health facility outbreak data as of Tuesday, 35 residents of Caressant Care in Harriston have tested positive for COVID. An additional 19 staff at the facility are counted in the outbreak first declared on Jan. 6.
Caressant Care spokesperson Stuart Oakley said via email there are 70 residents at the long-term care home with 109 staff.
This is not the only Caressant Care home in Wellington County currently in a COVID outbreak.
The Fergus location has nine residents and seven staff between the retirement and long-term care homes have COVID.
“The corporate operations and clinical teams have daily calls (seven days a week) with homes that are in outbreak to get up-to-date numbers on case counts and to see how we can support them in terms of getting PPE and other supplies to them, address any staffing concerns and making sure the home is well supported,” Oakley said on how they deal with these outbreaks.
“We help with communication to families and communities. Each home also has the local support of a regional director of operations and a clinical practice lead who are in the homes to help manage the outbreak.”
County-owned Wellington Terrace is also in outbreak with 10 residents and 28 staff cases. One person has also died during this outbreak.
Highland Manor in Fergus, Birmingham Retirement Community in Mount Forest and the Royal terrace in Palmerston are also dealing with outbreaks among residents and staff.
Wellington County long-term care and retirement home residents account for 65 of the 149 positive cases of residents and patients at facility outbreaks in the region. Staff cases represent 68 of 307 total cases in the region’s facility outbreaks.
