Lambton's medical officer of health says preventative steps are being taken as COVID-19 again takes hold in local long-term care and retirement homes.
Dr. Sudit Ranade told a media briefing Monday that the coronavirus spreads very much like the common cold, something that over the course of decades we have never been able to prevent.
"Once this virus takes hold in a long-term care facility or retirement home, we have seen the devastation that it can cause and the damage that it can do," said Ranade.
As of Monday, there were 12 active outbreaks impacting ten facilities. An outbreak declared Friday at Twin Lakes Terrace Long-Term Care Home in Sarnia included infections in 12 residents and one staff member and there was a positive case involving a staffer at Twin Lakes Terrace Retirement Home. Village on the St. Clair Retirement Home in Sarnia now has seven infected residents and five staff in an outbreak declared December 30.
Dr. Ranade said they're particularly concerned about those two outbreaks and measures are being taken to try to stop further spread of the virus.
"There's been a local response team that's a partnership between the hospital, public health and other sectors, and people within the sector actually," he said. "They're asking what they can do for some of these homes in terms of increased infection prevention control assessments, helping them with staffing needs and other supports that they might need like testing and various other things."
Lambton Public Health reported another daily high of 85 new confirmed cases Monday for a total of 1,309 since the end of March.
-With files from Colin Gowdy
