Seniors homes get help with outbreak

No new deaths reported in region

WATERLOO REGION — Two long-term care homes in Kitchener are getting help to manage significant COVID-19 outbreaks.

Forest Heights Revera is up to 103 cases in residents and 41 in staff, and 12 deaths by Tuesday evening. Trinity Village has 26 cases in residents, 25 in staff and one death.

Acting medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said a regional team is

working closely every day with the two homes to ensure they have adequate support.

“I am very grateful for the high level of professionalism and collaboration that exists across our region’s health care system,” Wang said.

Forest Heights is temporarily moving about 40 of its patients to local hospitals, which will provide care for the residents.

“The movement of residents will not impact the hospital’s ability to admit new patients or care for their current patients,” Wang said.

Local hospitals are not seeing the surge in coronavirus patients that was expected at the start of the pandemic, and Wang said they have the capacity to care for the longterm care residents.

“That’s why they offered up the spaces,” she said.

Moving some patients out of the home will allow it to better group and isolate residents, while relieving some pressure on staff. Additional staffing including personal support workers are also being deployed there.

“Strong outbreak measures continue to remain in place at Forest Heights,” Wang said.

The local health response team has also been working with Trinity Village for a few days.

“We are actively working with them to ensure that they are well supported,” Wang said. “They are also experiencing a significant outbreak.”

Wang didn’t know if any Trinity Village residents would be moved into hospitals.

“The goal is to try to support residents in their homes usually,” Wang said. “That’s their homes and that’s where they generally want to be cared for.”

She said the primary focus now is ensuring sufficient staffing, given a number of employees are in isolation or off sick.

“This is a situation that we’re monitoring very carefully,” Wang said. “We’re there to support them.”

She said it’s too early to know what factors contributed to certain homes experiencing more significant outbreaks.

Forest Heights has some rooms with four residents which is not ideal, but that’s not unique to that facility.

“It really depends on the specific outbreak in that home and the specific measures that are being put in place,” Wang said. “What I can tell you is that every home is receiving direction and guidance on how to implement the best measures possible.”

Outbreaks are declared at 11 long-term care and retirement homes across the region. Six have been declared over.

“The community cases have dropped. The long-term care homes have become the area of risk,” said Wang, adding that’s why testing is foheavily on those resicused dential settings.

COVID-19 cases in the region are up to 550. The Wednesday update by public health is an additional 22 on Tuesday’s 528 confirmed cases. The number of deaths remains at 31. Of the current local cases, 193 are resolved and 27 are hospitalized.

Outbreaks were declared at St. Mary’s General Hospital on the weekend and Grand River Hospital on Tuesday.

A total of 4,382 tests have been done in the region.

“Our challenging times continue, but our combined efforts are making a difference,” Wang said. “We still have a long road to travel and we must stay the course.”

Wang said while community spread has slowed, there’s another wave occurring in the more vulnerable settings of nursing homes.

“It’s really important for people to understand that the two are linked,” she said.

COVID-19 gets into longterm care homes from the outside, which is why it’s important for everyone to continue with all the measures put in place to control the virus’ spread, including physical distancing and staying home as much as possible. “Even for community spread, it’s important that we not let up our measures because if we do that, it could go up again really rapidly,” Wang said.

“Now is not the time to become complacent,” Regional Chair Karen Redman added.

Chief administrative officer Mike Murray said local municipalities are starting to think about the approach to reopening, but will have to to hear what the provwait ince decides.

“We don’t yet know what reopening is going to look like,” Murray said. “We’re going to have to take our lead and direction from the province.”

If the province does provide some local latitude, then he said the region’s municipalities will work together while being informed by public health.