The COVID-19 outbreak on Ross Memorial Hospital’s Continuing Care Program (CCP1) unit has been declared ‘over’ as of May 7.
The hospital worked with Public Health to complete contact tracing and testing, and the outbreak remains limited to 1 patient and 1 staff member. “Our team quickly identified and contained the spread of COVID-19 on the unit, maintaining the safety of our patients and staff,” says Kelly Isfan, president and CEO.
If you’re in the middle of spring cleaning, avoid organizing a garage sale or yard sale until further notice.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit strongly discourages local residents from organizing or holding garage and yard sales during COVID-19. Having these types of sales can increase people’s exposure to COVID-19 and lead to the spread of the virus in Haliburton County, Northumberland County and the City of Kawartha Lakes. Keep Reading
Kristina Nairn, public health nurse, HKPR District Health Unit
Phones are an essential tool in the fight against COVID-19. For weeks now, health unit nurses and other staff have worked the phones on days, evenings and weekends. Initially, it was answering hundreds of your questions/concerns. Recently, our focus has shifted to doing follow-ups and regular check-ins with people and places affected by the coronavirus.
An outbreak designation has been lifted at Adelaide Place Retirement Community in Lindsay, due to lab error testing, while an outbreak has begun at Caressant Care, also in Lindsay.
The outbreak was declared at Adelaide Place May 1 when an asymptomatic resident had been tested as part of the routine practice for new residents and that test came back as positive for COVID-19. The same day the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit declared the outbreak, it was notified that a lab error may have resulted in the false-positive test result for the one individual at Adelaide Place.
The resident was re-swabbed and today the results were returned showing the person did not have COVID-19.
Community gardens in Kawartha Lakes are being allowed to put down roots this growing season, so long as they take proper precautions against COVID-19.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit has released guidelines for how community gardens can safely open and operate in Haliburton County, Northumberland County and Kawartha Lakes this coming year. This follows the Ontario government’s recent decision to declare community gardens as an essential service during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Residents and staff from two long-term care homes are going to be retested after the local health unit was notified that a lab error may have resulted in false positive COVID-19 results for 13 area residents.
It’s critical that Kawartha Lakes – a community with a high number of older people – stay the course on social distancing to avoid any further community spread of COVID-19.
This, according to an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, Ashleigh Tuite, will be the key to prevent any large scale death numbers here.
One resident at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon died over night. The total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the home now stands at 27.
On March 27, Kawartha Lakes residents heard two very different messages regarding seasonal residents heading to their cottages and rural properties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early on Friday afternoon Premier Doug Ford stated categorically, “that residents in urban areas should avoid heading to their cottages and rural properties across the province during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, health partners in Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and
Peterborough City and County are working together proactively to encourage safe practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
If you have fever and/or cough, have travelled to one of the affected countries in the past 14 days or have had close or confirmed contact with a probable case, self-isolate at home, do not go to the Emergency Department. Contact your local Public Health Unit or Telehealth Ontario for additional direction:
• HKPR District Health Unit – 1-866-888-4577 ext. 5020
• Peterborough Public Health – 705-743-1000 ext. 401
• Telehealth Ontario – 1-866-797-0000
All residents of the region are asked to:
• Avoid going to hospital or other healthcare settings for nonessential reasons. This includes visitors as well as patients with elective (non-urgent) appointments or procedures. Some hospitals have started screening visitors for illness and travel history at all public entrances; others have plans to begin this practice soon. If you need to go to a healthcare environment for investigation of respiratory symptoms, wear a disposable face mask as prompted.
• Follow the recommended rules of social distancing to avoid close contact with others who may be sick. Avoid crowds, gatherings and events and maintain a two-metre distance between people in public environments. Today, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health recommended an immediate suspension of gatherings of more than 250 people. The Canadian government has also advised Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada.
• Clean your hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Hands should be cleaned for at least 15-20 seconds. Cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow, and throw used tissues in the garbage.
• Clean frequently-touched areas in your home environment, including toilets, bedside tables, light switches, door handles and personal devices such as phones and tablets.
• Contact your local public health unit or Telehealth Ontario if you have concerns about COVID-19. As cases of COVID-19 are confirmed in the region, this information will be shared with the public in partnership with local public health and the provincial government’s daily reporting updates.
