Extendicare Kingston addresses COVID-19 outbreak among staff

Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Extendicare Kingston after three staff members at the facility tested positive for the virus.

The outbreak was officially declared on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, and, according to data from KFL&A Public Health, there are currently two active cases involved in the outbreak, and one case, which has already resolved. Public Health lists the resolved case as that of a staff member, while the two active cases are within an unspecified population. According to Extendicare Long Term Care, all three of the cases are/were among staff.

“KFL&A Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak in a non-clinical department after the detection of three cases among our team members. One of those cases is now resolved, and no residents have tested positive,” a spokesperson for Extendicare Long Term Care explained.

“Active staff are self-isolating at home at the direction of Public Health and we continue to work closely with Public Health during this outbreak for the continued health and safety of our residents and our care team.”

Extendicare said they have “enhanced testing and screening” in place for residents, team members, and caregivers. They have also suspended all day and night absences of residents, and limited visits to the Kingston facility to essential caregivers only.

“In addition, we have enhanced our environmental cleaning and disinfection efforts and have implemented mandatory eyewear protection for any essential caregivers, team members, and support workers in the Home,” a spokesperson said in an email.

“Our residents are on enhanced surveillance, enabling them to safely participate in cohorted, physically distanced activities.”

The long-term care home is continuing to follow all directions set out by local and provincial health partners, “to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our community, and to keep everyone who lives in our home safe,” they said.

“At Extendicare Kingston, all staff working in the home are fully vaccinated. We are working with our health system partners to administer third doses to residents to ensure enhanced protections per provincial guidelines,” the spokesperson expressed.

“We continue to provide regular updates to our team and families, and we remain vigilant in doing all that is necessary to protect those in our care until this virus is no longer a threat.”

Currently, data from KFL&A Public Health indicates there are #### active cases of COVID-19 in the KFL&A region, with 51 active outbreaks within the region, involving 259 active cases of the virus. Those numbers will be updated later today, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Yesterday, KFL&A Public Health issued a press release urging residents to vaccinate and reduce close contacts. Case counts locally remain at an all-time high, as does the rate positivity for those tested for COVID-19 in the region. This is due largely in part to the presence of the Omicron variant within KFL&A and local cases, according to Public Health.

The percentage positivity of COVID-19 in the region continues to remain at an all-time high, with the COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group showing the KFL&A region at over 900 cases per 100,00 over the past two weeks, as of Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021 (934 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days; 564 cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days).