Long-termcare testing spikes local virus cases
Residents and staff with no symptoms contribute to new crop of infections
Wednesday saw its largest jump in weeks of confirmed Niagara COVID-19 cases, the result of expanded testing in long-term care and retirement homes struggling to combat lethal outbreaks of the virus. Niagara’s public health department reported 36 new cases Wednesday, up from the typical 10 to 13 per day, to raise the total number of COVID-19 cases in the region since March 13 to 299. Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagara’s acting medical officer of health, said the overwhelming majority of the new cases are connected to outbreaks at four long-term care and retirement homes. As a result of the virus spreading through the homes — particularly Lundy Manor in Niagara Falls and Royal Rose Place and Seasons Retirement Community both in Welland — public health expanded its testing protocols in the homes to include residents and staff who are not showing symptoms of infection. “We are testing all the staff whether they are showing symptoms or not, and we are testing any residents in neighbouring rooms of someone who has tested positive,” Hirji said. “And that has yielded some
positive results in asymptomatic people.”
Hirji ordered expanded testing to try to get ahead of the spread of the virus. To date, residents with COVID-19 who have died account for at least 21 of the 26 confirmed pandemicrelated deaths in Niagara.
Residents of the homes also account for more than 30 per cent of Niagara’s total cases. The number of Niagara healthcare workers infected by the novel coronavirus has increased to 14 per cent of the total, most of them who work at the residences.
Data released by the health department showed 99 Niagara residents have recovered from the virus. That means there are at least 174 active COVID-19 cases in Niagara, with 28 of them being treated at hospital.
Long-term care outbreaks remained the focus of both the public health department and the provincial government Wednesday, with Premier Doug Ford saying Ontario will send “COVID-19 swat teams” from hospitals into homes with outbreaks to help stem the tide of infections.
Hirji said public health has not received specific details about what these teams will do or what role public health will play.
However, he said the provincially mandated effort may be similar to the COVID-19 response teams Niagara’s health department recently put into action. Those teams have been dispatched to residences with outbreaks to closely inspect how the homes’ staffs are following infection control protocols, including cleaning and disinfecting efforts required to help limit the spread of the virus.
Lynn Guerriero, president of Niagara Health, said the hospital system is waiting for more details from the Ford government.
“There is a lot of discussion and work already taking place among primary care, long-term care, our hospital and many other care providers to create a more integrated system in our region. By working together, we can best support the health and well-being of everyone in Niagara,” said she in a Wednesday afternoon statement.
Hirji said he expects the longterm care testing regime will find more cases of asymptomatic residents and staff in the coming days.
Although the spike in cases shows the depth of the ongoing problem in long-term care homes, Hirji said there was some good news Wednesday — the outbreak at Shalom Manor in Grimsby was declared over.
On Tuesday, Rapelje Lodge in Welland was declared free of COVID-19.
Hirji said overall the Niagara curve is flattening due to physical distancing and hygiene measures, but he continued to warm that progress can be undone easily if the public backs away from those measures.