23 COVID-19 cases at Sackville nursing home

The number of people sick with COVID-19 at a Sackville nursing home has grown to 23, with one person in hospital.

Seventeen residents and six staff members of the Drew Nursing Home have tested positive, Michael Keating, the interim executive director of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes,told CBCNews on Wednesday.

That's up from 22 as of Tuesday.Further testing is scheduledFriday at the home, which has 118 licensed beds.

"Most of them, with the exception of the fellow that went to the hospital, most of them are experiencing mild symptoms," Keating said.

"There is one other resident that's having some difficulty, but most are experiencing mild symptoms."

Drew Nursing Home executive director Linda Shannon directed an interview request to theassociation, the organization that represents non-profit nursing homes across the province.

The home announced it was closed to visitors on Sept. 14, when a staff member tested positive.

As of the latest message, the cases are among residents in two different units of the nursing home.

Keating said it's his understanding that the residents who have tested positive are vaccinated. He didn't have figures for how many staff are vaccinated.

The cases have been causing issues with staffing. Keating said some staff are fearful of coming to work.

According to the home's message to families, several RNs, LPNs and resident attendants from other nursing homes are helping at the Drew, as well as retired employees.

Sackville Mayor Shawn Mesheau said there's anxiety in the community.

"We've been very fortunate in Sackville how we've kind of managed to mitigate the pandemic," Mesheau said in an interview Wednesday.

"In speaking with folks in town, there's concern over the residents in the nursing home, as well as the staff who are working through this with them."

He said there had previously been a few cases in the community related to university students, but to his knowledge this was the first large number of cases in the area.

Keating said there are now COVID-19 cases in 10 nursing homes represented by the association, more than at any other point in the pandemic.

Fourstaff members are sick atNotre-Dame-de-Lourdes in Bathurst. Five residents and two staff are sick atGrand Falls Manor.