Three residents test positive for COVID-19 at Stoney Creek home

Three residents at Heritage Green have tested positive for COVID-19 — just days after an outbreak at the Stoney Creek nursing home was declared over.

The first outbreak at the 167bed home spanned more than five weeks. That outbreak ended Monday, but Hamilton Public Health said it would continue testing asymptomatic residents and staff, as per a provincial directive.

Public health declared a new outbreak May 1.

The city’s health unit said all three positive cases were asymptomatic and that there are currently no symptomatic staff or residents at the home.

The cases bring the total infections at Heritage Green to 15 residents and three staff. Four residents have died. An email Heritage Green management sent to families said the cases were identified after public health’s first round of testing.

“Please know that it was never our intent to be out of outbreak,” the email read. “However, we are governed by public health.”

Public health declares an outbreak over 14 days after the last positive resident began showing symptoms or 14 days after the last positive staff member worked a shift.

Heritage Green took issue with public health’s decision to end the outbreak this week, calling it premature to declare it over considering test results of asymptomatic staff and residents were still pending.

“We did not want to be declared ‘out’ of outbreak only to find we would be back ‘in’ outbreak,” administrator Scott Kozachenko said in an email sent to families Tuesday.

“Finding a positive result for a resident or staff would be so disappointing and discouraging to everyone … Unfortunately, public health did not agree with Heritage Green or see the wisdom in this (and) have gone ahead with their announcement.”

Public health said that nearly one-fifth of all long-term-carehome residents and staff have been tested for COVID-19. That’s part of an April 22 provincial order, requiring all staff and residents to be tested.

Hamilton had 440 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, up eight from the day prior.