COVID-19 Outbreak Declared Over at Village Manor
Update December 11, 2020
On Tuesday December 8, the COVID-19 outbreak at Village Manor and Carpenter House was declared over by Waterloo Region Public Health. There are currently no active cases in staff or residents.
The management order for St. Mary’s and Village Manor continues in effect while an appropriate transition plan is put in place. All staff returning to work at the homes or outside agencies required to deliver care in the home are receiving training on the ongoing infection control requirements and safe practices in the home.
The importance of following all public health guidelines has and will continue to be been reinforced for all staff and residents inside the homes or outside in the community. Visiting is being restored to the home and visitors must undergo rigorous screening upon arrival and observe all infection control protocols while in the homes.
“A very sincere thank you to all residents and staff who have been working closely and collaboratively with the St. Mary’s and Village Manor team to end the outbreak and reduce further spread in the residences and the community,” said Lee Fairclough, St. Mary’s President. “We have also been touched by the generosity of businesses in the community who have reached out to support residents in various ways. It reminds us of just how kind our community can be.”
Update – December 4, 2020
The outbreak of COVID-19 and Village Manor and Carpenter House in St. Jacobs is still in effect, though it has stabilized substantially over the last week. St. Mary’s General Hospital staff continue to be on site, actively managing the outbreak and the home. Thank you to the residents, staff and families that have been welcoming us as we’ve worked together through this.
Currently there are no active cases of COVID-19 in either house, however there continues to be individuals we are monitoring closely as high risk contacts. They continue to isolate in the home.
Of the 20/24 residents who tested positive, 16 living at the home are now fully resolved and no longer considered infectious and four remain in hospital as previously reported. That means if people from Village Manor are out in the community they will not spread the virus to others, and are able to go about their routines, such as, going to the grocery store as required.
A total of 12 staff that have worked in the home recently also tested positive for COVID-19. However, many of them are also now considered resolved, and no longer infectious, having come through COVID-19. Some of the staff will be resuming their work at Village Manor and Carpenter House.
SMGH will stay managing the home until we’re able to confirm the outbreak is over and sustain the infection control practices at the home. We will work with Public Health to determine when that is.
Thank you to those who have been supportive of these efforts in the community. If you do see your neighbours from the home out in the community, please know that it is safe for them to be doing so at this time as they are no longer carrying or spreading COVID-19.
If you have any questions please contact info@smgh.ca and we will be happy to address your questions.
Update – November 27, 2020
As a team from St. Mary’s General Hospital works alongside the team at Village Manor in St. Jacob’s, there is some positive news to share on management of the residence. Since the Public Health order was issued for St. Mary’s and Village Manor last Saturday, November 21, Saturday, we have implemented many measures to ensure appropriate protections are in place and all necessary steps taken to manage a COVID-19 outbreak and contain any further spread outside of the home into the community.
Today at Village Manor, we are pleased to report that 15 residents living at the Manor House are considered resolved cases. This means, that they are no longer at risk of infecting others with COVID-19 and have moved through COVID-19 themselves. They pose no risk to the community either, so are able to come out of isolation and be able to move around in the community safely.
We do continue to manage 2 residents in the home that are positive, and 4 that are in hospital. We also want to ensure the safety and ongoing monitoring of the 4 residents considered at high risk for COVID-19 but are currently testing negative. We are saddened that earlier this week a resident passed away while receiving care at St. Mary’s. On behalf of the teams at St. Mary’s and Village Manor, we extend our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones.
As we continue to manage Village Manor, we also want to ensure the ongoing safety of staff working in the home. For these reasons, all staff will continue to use a heightened level of PPE appropriate to the circumstance and we will maintain very active care on site at the home. At this time there are a total of nine staff who have tested positive. These staff members are not working in the home and we wish them well while they are at home recovering.
We also continue to limit visitors to the home while the outbreak continues to be managed. We are supporting residents through phone and virtual visits the best way possible. Any service workers or others coming into the home, are required to wear protection given there are still positive cases in the home.
If you have any questions please contact info@smgh.ca and we will be happy to address your questions.