Huron-Perth Public Health has declared the COVID-19 outbreak at the Exeter Villa Retirement Home over.
In a release on January 27th, the HPPH says that the outbreak was declared over as of January 24th. During the outbreak, the facility recorded 50 confirmed COVID-19 cases. On the long-term care side, there were 36 total confirmed cases in residents and 11 confirmed cases in staff. On the retirement home side, there was one confirmed case in a resident and two cases among staff. Three residents sadly died during the outbreak after testing positive.
The release states that overall, most residents experienced mild symptoms and illness. Exeter Villa worked with a number of local partners that gave assistance and support during the outbreak including the South West Local Health Integration Network, Huron County Paramedic Services, Ontario Health, the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance and the South Huron Hospital Association.
Dr. Miriam Klassen, the Medical Officer of Health for HPPH says, “We are very pleased to declare this outbreak over and want to commend the staff for their hard work and dedication during this challenging time.”
Exeter Villa's Administrator, Erika King, says it was extremely sad to lose three residents during the outbreak.
“These individuals were cherished longstanding residents of Exeter Villa Long-Term Care. We are deeply saddened by their passing and continue to offer our sympathy to their loved ones.”
“This outbreak underlines how serious the COVID-19 infection can be for our vulnerable populations, especially our residents in long-term care and in those with underlying health conditions,” says King. “It was heartwarming to see the overwhelmingly positive response from the community and residents families; we are grateful for the love they have shown to us.”
“Now that the outbreak has been declared over, we will be able to concentrate on our recovery plan and will be focusing on what more can be done in the home to enhance the lives of our residents given the ongoing safety restrictions in the community.”