A woman in her 90s is the latest resident at Fairfield Park Nursing Home in Wallaceburg to die of COVID-19.
Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby announced Thursday morning that the woman died on Tuesday. Her death is the eighth COVID-19 death reported in Chatham-Kent and the second involving a long-term care patient in Chatham-Kent. Another woman in her 90s died at Fairfield Park on Saturday and was reported by the local health unit on Monday. Last week, a resident of Fairfield Park who had tested positive for COVID-19 died but Colby said the death was not caused by the virus. Another resident died at the home on Tuesday but CK Public Health (CKPH) said the death was not from COVID-19.
"We are saddened to report that a resident at Fairfield Park has passed away earlier this week due to COVID-19. Our thoughts are with their family today and I know you join us in extending our deepest condolences," Fairfield Park Administrator Tracey Maxim said in a statement.
Local public health officials reported the home has had a total of 98 cases but the number of active COVID-19 cases has fallen to 24 among residents and 31 among staff.
The latest COVID-19 numbers reported by the local health unit on Thursday include a reduction of five active cases to bring the total number of active cases in Chatham-Kent to 129.
The last of the workplace outbreaks has also been declared over. CKPH reported five local outbreaks overall on Thursday. Four are institutional and one is in a congregate living setting. Chatham-Kent Health Alliance CEO Lori Marshall said the outbreak at the Chatham hospital COVID-19 Unit was declared over Wednesday night, but the outbreak in the Medicine Unit in Chatham continues. There have been a total of 22 cases there. Marshall said there are nine COVID-19 patients at the Chatham hospital with two of them in the Intensive Care Unit but none of them are on ventilators. She also hopes to resume full volume Ambulatory Care and Surgical services on Tuesday. They were reduced last week because of staffing shortages due to 40 employees in outbreak units isolating at home. Marshall said currently there are 25 hospital staff either recovering from COVID-19 or quarantining because they were high-risk contacts but she expects 20 of them to return by Monday.