PINES STAFF MEMBER POSITIVE; RESIDENTS MAY GET VACCINE FRIDAY
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
BRACEBRIDGE — Residents today in a home area of The Pines LTC residence are all being tested for the coronavirus after another outbreak was declared yesterday following a confirmed COVID-19 case of a staff member Jan. 5.
This as vaccinations of residents could begin as early as Friday.
The staff member working at the Pines Long-Term Care Home staff was symptomatic as of Tuesday morning and self-isolating at home, says a release last night from the District of Muskoka, which manages the retirement facility.
They say the home area where the staff member worked has been declared in outbreak status — and as an added precaution residents this staff member was in contact with have been placed on isolation precautions.
Families of the affected residents have now been notified.
And testing of all residents in the home area is taking place today.
The district and the health unit are working closely to monitor and respond to the situation.
A deep clean of all resident home areas will be conducted to protect residents and staff, in addition to an increase in daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces.
The Pines remains closed to all visitors, except those at end-of-life.
No additional restrictions are required at this time as per the advice of SMDHU.
Regular updates will be provided to residents, their families, and staff as more details become available.
Proactive and mandatory weekly testing for all staff will be completed this week as scheduled to support early detection, and will continue until further notice from public health experts.
Resident vaccinations could begin Friday
While the announcement of a positive staff test is disappointing, they are “pleased to report good news” related to the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines for residents of The Pines.
“We are preparing to be in a position to start administration of in-home vaccinations for residents at the Pines later this week,” said Kim Landry, administrator at the Pines Long-Term Care.
“Currently 90 Pines staff is part of the early roll-out of vaccines, which are being stored at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie and vaccinations are being provided at an Assessment Centre in Barrie. This staff vaccination program combined with in-home vaccination of residents will significantly boost our efforts to ensure the health and safety of our home, and consequently limit the entrance and spread of the COVID-19 virus at The Pines.”
All non-essential visits to The Pines were suspended effective Saturday, Dec. 26.
They say the decision to suspend all non-essential visits was intended to support the province-wide shutdown measures.
As of Boxing Day only pre-approved visits with residents who are very ill or requiring end-of-life care are permitted.
They say if you are planning this type of visit, please contact the Charge RN at The Pines at 705-645-4488 x 4825 to determine if you can proceed with your visit.
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