Another person has died at Simcoe Manor during a COVID-19 outbreak at the long-term care home.
The Beeton facility has been in outbreak since Oct. 2. All 126 residents were tested on Oct. 2, and all 171 staff were tested on Oct. 5.
As of Thursday, 26 residents and 16 staff had tested positive for COVID-19. Four residents have now died, including an 88-year-old man, a 92-year-old woman, a 98-year-old man that had been previously reported. On Wednesday night, an 82-year-old female from the facility died.
“Our condolences are with the family members and friends of those we have lost,” said Merideth Morrison, director of performance and quality development with the County of Simcoe. “We hope for the best possible outcomes for all affected.”
“We knew our homes were vulnerable. This is a very serious situation,” she said.
A 96-year-old female also died at the home on Wednesday night, however her COVID-19 test had come back negative. As per health unit protocols, a second COVID-19 test will be administered post-mortem. She had been receiving palliative end-of-life care prior to her death.
“The health unit may include this in our outbreak,” said Morrison. “We are awaiting confirmation on that.”
Four units at the facility have been affected, while three of those units contain residents with active cases.
All nine of the staff members added to the case count today are currently asymptomatic.
With 16 staff members now out of the loop, Morrison said they are short-staffed at the home.
“This is a global situation in terms of PSW (personal support worker) support. We are reaching out to every possible agency in the area and the province to bring in support. It is very difficult on all the staff,” she said. “We will get them as much support as we possibly can.”
