THUNDER BAY - A COVID-19 outbreak at the Southbridge Roseview long-term care home in Thunder Bay has continued to grow since it was first announced last week.
Six residents and two staff members at the Shuniah Street care home have tested positive for COVID-19, the company told Tbnewswatch Monday afternoon.
That represents a doubling of cases since the Thunder Bay District Health Unit announced the outbreak had spread facility-wide on Saturday.
All six residents were in quarantine in the Heritage Resident Home area, the company said. Another resident had been sent to hospital, but tested negative for COVID-19.
Two employees who tested positive for COVID-19 are self-isolating, the company reported Monday. No other staff were self-isolating as of Monday.
All residents had been tested for COVID-19 as of Saturday, the health unit said, while testing of all staff was still underway at the time. The agency has not yet responded to an inquiry from Tbnewswatch for further details on the status of those tests.
Southbridge said Monday it was still awaiting the results of some tests, but did not specify how many were still outstanding. The home was 157 residents, according to its website.
In a statement provided to Tbnewswatch, the company did not directly answer a question regarding whether any residents or staff had been hospitalized due to the outbreak. There were three people in hospital with the virus as of Monday, two in intensive care, according to the health unit.
Staff will be tested for COVID-19 every five days going forward, according to Southbridge. It was not yet clear when residents would next be tested.
Daily updates on the outbreak, including new confirmed cases, were promised on the home’s website.
The home has increased staffing levels, bringing on board five new Registered Nurses and 39 new support staff, the company said.
Other measures in place at the home include staff working in dedicated areas, daily calls with public health authorities, screening of residents and staff three times per shift, and enhanced cleaning, the company said.
