The Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) says all residents at the Hyland Crest long-term care home have tested negative for COVID-19.
This comes after two essential caregivers tested positive for the virus over the weekend. The long-term care home was placed in an outbreak on February 1st after two essential caregivers tested positive for COVID-19.
Staff results are still pending, according to HHHS officials.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s (HKPR) top doctor Ian Gemmill said Wednesday what’s happening is more of a “situation” than an outbreak.
HKPR’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Gemmill explained that provincial regulations mandate that a home must be placed in an outbreak if two or more cases are diagnosed within it. While the Health Unit has put proper infection control protocols in place, he doesn’t believe it’s an “outbreak” but it’s a “situation. He says the two caregivers that tested positive do not have any coronavirus symptoms.
Gemmill says they may turn out to be false positives, but HKPR can’t take any risks, which is why the home was put into an outbreak. He says so far so other staff members or residents have tested positive for the virus.
Story has been updated with a statement from Haliburton Highlands Health Services on the state of testing within the LTC.