A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Hyland Crest Long-Term Care in Minden, with three confirmed cases and seven other residents all placed in isolation.
The facility is currently on lockdown, closed to any further admissions and general visitors. All scheduled non-medical outings have been cancelled, while volunteers have been asked to temporarily stay away.
Lauren Hunter, Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) spokesperson, said essential caregivers would still be allowed to visit.
This is the third outbreak at the site since the onset of the pandemic. Previous outbreaks were declared in February and March 2021. The latest surge impacted residents living on the upper level.
“All residents have remained at the home. Symptoms range from fever, cough and malaise to asymptomatic,” Hunter said.
Concerns over how this latest outbreak could impact staffing at the long-term care home have been quashed. Hunter said staffing levels are stable and workers are operating in cohorts to ensure there’s no crossover between isolated and non-isolated areas. Thus far, no employees have tested positive.
Hunter said HHHS will continue to maintain Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) safety measures, including mandatory masking in all resident care areas, mandatory vaccination for staff and residents, regular surveillance testing, active screening of essential caregivers prior to entering facilities and enhanced cleaning protocols.
As of press time there were 15 ongoing community outbreaks in the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit jurisdiction – all of them in hospital or longterm care settings. An outbreak reported at Haliburton’s Camp Medeba in early July was declared over Aug. 4.
