CORNWALL – A municipally-owned Cornwall nursing home has been dealing with a “suspected outbreak” of COVID-19 for over a week.
Glen-Stor-Dun Lodge Administrator Steven Golden tells Cornwall Newswatch, residents on the fourth floor of the Seaway Unit have been in “preventative isolation” since Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) after some employees tested positive through rapid testing.
The rest of the facility then went into preventative isolation about a week later (Dec. 29) “due to the amount of staff who were either in close contact with a positive person or have tested positive” through a rapid antigen test.
“The Lodge has taken swift action to halt the spread of the virus through rigorous infection management practices and procedures,” Golden explained in an email statement to CNW.
He says no residents have tested positive but roughly 50 workers have been off due to either having close contact with an infected person in their home or testing positive through various testing regimes before starting their shift.
“All employees that have been affected are currently self-isolating at home and recovering well and some have already returned to work,” Golden said.
The administrator says they have been working closely with the health unit since Christmas Eve. Some employees from other city departments as well as PSW students have been helping with cleaning and disinfecting.
The Eastern Ontario Health Unit has not mentioned the suspected outbreak anywhere on the outbreak page of its website as of Wednesday morning.
Cornwall Newswatch emailed the EOHU requesting comment for this story. The health unit indicated it would not have a response until its regularly scheduled news briefing next Tuesday (Jan. 11).
Glen-Stor-Dun Lodge on Montreal Road is owned and operated by the City of Cornwall and has 132 beds.