ABOYNE – COVID-19 outbreak protocols are now in place throughout the Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home.
On Dec. 15, officials with Wellington County, which operates the facility, noted two areas of the home were in outbreak status, after two employees experienced mild symptoms (one tested positive and the other received an inconclusive test but later tested negative).
Three days later, that figure was updated to three areas of the home, following a positive COVID-19 test result for a third employee and an inconclusive test result for a fourth employee.
Those two staff members were last in the building on Dec. 17 and 18. They are asymptomatic and are now self-isolating at home.
“As a result of this investigation, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) has put Wellington Terrace in a facility-wide outbreak status,” said Warden Kelly Linton.
“We will continue to work closely with Public Health and take vigilant measures to protect our residents and staff.”
All families of Wellington Terrace residents have been notified of the cases, which administrator Suzanne Dronick believes are not related.
“The recent employee cases have occurred in a variety of different departments,” she stated.
“Wellington Terrace will continue to follow extensive infection control processes that follow Ministry of Health directives and are guided by (WDGPH).
“To date, we have not had any positive cases of COVID-19 in our resident population.”
All Wellington Terrace employees are tested every seven days as per Ministry of Health directives, officials say, and residents showing “even the slightest evidence of a health change” are “immediately tested for COVID-19.”
A facility-wide outbreak prohibits any new resident admissions to Wellington Terrace.
An outbreak is defined by public health officials as one or more confirmed cases of COVID-19.
An outbreak is declared over 14 days after symptoms began in the most recent case and when no other cases are suspect.
