FIFTH PINES OUTBREAK TODAY, AFTER VACCINE INJECTIONS SATURDAY

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

BRACEBRIDGE —  A day after a COVID outbreak ended at The Pines, two staff members of the retirement and LTC home were sent home today after one of them tested positive for COVID-19.

It is the fifth outbreak at the home since Aug. 30.

This after just last Saturday, Jan. 16, all consenting residents and essential caregivers received their first dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech vaccination.

And 160 out of 210 employees have either received their first vaccine or have completed the two-part series in the vaccination process.

The latest case there comes after routine testing two days ago, on Jan. 18, when one worker learned of the positive result Wednesday.

The staff member is asymptomatic and was immediately sent home to isolate, said the District of Muskoka, which runs the long-time institution.

As a precaution, an additional staff member who was in close contact with the COVID-19 positive employee has been swabbed and was also sent home to isolate, says a release this afternoon.

The home area where the staff member was working has been placed in outbreak status by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.

However, the outbreak does not extend to the entire building.

This case is not related to the outbreak that commenced on Jan. 5 and that ended yesterday.

It’s the third outbreak at the Pines.

“That’s the way it is these days,” Landry told MuskokaTODAY.com today.

Routine, weekly testing of all staff continues as per the provincial guidelines, she said in the release.

The District of Muskoka and SMDHU are working closely to monitor and respond to the situation.

Vaccinations and testing:

On Saturday, Jan. 16, all consenting residents, and essential caregivers received their first dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech vaccination.

137 out of 145 residents (94%) and 60 essential caregivers (community and family members) received their first dose of the vaccine. The second dose administration date has not yet been scheduled.

Also, 160 out of 210 employees have either received their first vaccine or have completed the two-part series in the vaccination process.

Scheduled weekly testing of all staff will continue to support early detection of any spread of the COVID-19 virus in the home.

5 previous Pines cases:

  1. The Pines experienced an initial outbreak of COVID-19 after one employee tested positive on Aug. 30. Following the initial positive case, one resident tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 2. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) determined that the first outbreak was resolved on September 16, 2020.
  2. Additional staff members tested positive on Sept. 19 and 25. That outbreak status was lifted Oct. 8 following 14 days with no additional positive cases.
  3. On Nov. 13 a staff member tested positive with no additional positive cases. Due to the nature of this case, the home was not declared in outbreak at this time.
  4. One staff member tested positive on Jan. 5 with no additional staff or resident cases identified. As a result, one Pines home area was declared in outbreak Jan. 5 and this outbreak was resolved by SMDHU Jan. 19.
  5. A staff member tested positive (today) Jan. 20. The positive staff member and one additional close-contact employee are currently isolating at home and are being monitored by SMDHU.
A day after its fourth outbreak ended and four days after residents and staff were vaccinated for COVID-19, two workers were sent home today after one of them tested positive for the coronavirus. The second worker is awaiting the results of their test.

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