People most vulnerable to COVID-19, including those in retirement homes, will get tested within one week says the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.
The Health Unit says it is "collaborating with long-term care and retirement homes, Ontario Health, Public Health Ontario, and Assessment & Testing Centers throughout the entire district to implement a plan to facilitate the testing of every resident and staff of these facilities."
Last Friday, Public Health Sudbury & Districts released its plan to test long-term care home residents and staff for COVID-19 in support of the provincial announcement of expanded COVID-19 testing of vulnerable populations.
There are three current outbreaks in seniors' facilities in the PHSD area.
Tuesday, an outbreak was declared at Extendicare York long-term care home in Sudbury. In this case, one staff member tested positive and is under active follow up with PHSD. A COVID-19 outbreak must be declared under ministry guidelines following a single laboratory-confirmed case in a resident or staff member of a long-term care facility.
On Sunday, an outbreak was declared at Pioneer Manor in Greater Sudbury after a resident tested positive for COVID-19. PHSD has since reported six additional COVID-19 cases at the long-term care home — including four staff and two residents.
On April 19, an outbreak was declared at St. Joseph’s Villa after positive COVID-19 test results from an employee, then a resident two days later.
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit reports there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among residents of local retirement homes or long-term care homes.
PHSD says "all residents and staff in homes will be eligible for testing — this is in addition to testing already underway for anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 and their close contacts. All long-term care homes will be engaged in this process, including working with their staff, residents, and families."
Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health with PHSD advises, "This testing is being done to gather a point-in-time picture of the situation in long-term care homes. The test results will help us better understand the presence of COVID-19 infections and will inform future planning to ensure ongoing protection of all residents and staff."
The local Health Unit acknowledges it will be a time-consuming process.
"Due to the large number of tests to be performed, a risk assessment has been completed and [the homes] prioritized which will inform the testing schedule. It is anticipated that testing will begin within a week."
Dr. Sutcliffe concurs about the task ahead.
"The volume of tests that will be done is huge, and risk assessments of the homes will set priority levels for each to determine schedules for testing."
In Sudbury and districts, as of Tuesday, 3,653 total tests had been administered, with 3,067 negative, 528 under investigation, 58 confirmed cases, 45 resolved, and one death. Public Health Sudbury & Districts reports a testing rate of 1,622 per 100,000 people.
In the North Bay Parry Sound catchment area, 1,731 tests have been conducted, with 279 pending. There have been 16 confirmed cases among local residents, with 15 resolved and one patient currently hospitalized. The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit reports a testing rate of 1,396 per 100,000 people.
