North Bay has its first positive test for COVID-19 in one of the area's long term care homes.
A resident tested positive for the virus at Cassellholme this weekend.
"During surveillance testing, a positive case of COVID-19 was identified in a resident who has no symptoms," stated Jamie Lowery, Chief Executive Officer at Cassellholme in a release.
"Ministry direction requires a COVID-19 outbreak to be declared with a single laboratory-confirmed case in a resident or staff member."
The individual who tested positive is a man between 60-79 years of age.
Lowery says the resident and roommate have been transferred to a special isolation unit that was set up several weeks ago in preparation should a case be confirmed
The news comes on the heels of comprehensive testing which began Friday morning at the home for the aged.
See related: Testing to begin today at local long-term care homes
A North Bay Regional Health Centre outreach team comprised of physicians, nurse practitioners, community paramedics, respiratory therapists, and lab technicians, began performing swabs on all 328 staff and 222 patients at the local facility on Friday.
Lowery assures staff, residents, and families that the risk of infection in the facility remains low. He adds temperature checks on residents are now being conducted twice a day.
Meanwhile, staff screening occurs at the beginning and end of shifts, including temperature checks, and all staff and essential visitors wear masks.
“There is no higher priority for us than the safety of our staff, residents, and families," he said.
"Thank you for standing with us during this challenging time.”
According to the most recent North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit numbers, the region has only 17 confirmed cases with 16 now resolved.
