New outbreaks at K-W long-term care and retirement homes 'expected,' health official says

Two new COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care and retirement homes in Waterloo region are "expected," says the region's acting associate medical officer of health Dr. Julie Emili.

One person living at Parkwood Mennonite Home in Waterloo and one person at Sunnyside Home in Kitchener have tested positive for COVID-19, new numbers released Friday morning by Region of Waterloo Public Health showed.

An outbreak is declared when just one resident or employee tests positive for the novel coronavirus.

This brings the total number of active outbreaks to three, with the third the ongoing outbreak at Forest Heights Revera in Kitchener. Forest Heights remains under the temporary management of St. Mary's General Hospital due to the massive outbreak that had its first case reported by public health onApril 1.

"I think it's expected that we're undergoing more screening again in long-term care homes through enhanced surveillance and we do know that there is COVID-19 still in our community," Emili said Friday during a regular media briefing.

But she noted the outbreaks at homes tend to be fewer and end more quickly because the homes now have a good understanding of what measures need to be put in place to keep people living and working there safe.

"We've worked with them closely to identify how to support them," she said.

Emili said it's unclear right now how the people who make up the new cases in the homes contracted the virus.

She said now, public health will help the homes do a risk assessment and from there, it will be decided who needs to be tested. Sometimes, Emili said, it's just people who had close contact with the resident who will be tested. In some circumstances,it could be everyone in the home needs to be retested.

The region reported on Friday there have been 1,228 positive cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and 1,037 have been marked as resolved.

As well, 115 people have died from the virus, with 95 of those people dying after contracting the virus through an outbreak at a long-term care or retirement home. No new deaths have been reported in the region since June 3.