• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Huntsville Doppler

Huntsville Doppler

Read Local

  • Home
    • All Stories
    • Community Guidelines
  • COVID-19
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Community
  • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Professionally Speaking
  • Sports
  • Obituaries
  • Lifestyle
    • Contests and Deals
    • Entertainment
    • Extraordinary People
    • Feature
    • This is Huntsville | Videos
    • Wayback Wednesday
    • Our Town with Grant Nickalls | Archive
  • Events
    • Event Listings
    • Add Your Event
  • It’s All Good
  • Speak Up, Huntsville!
  • Subscribe
  • Support
You are here: Home / News / COVID-19 outbreak at Chartwell Muskoka Traditions declared over
Chartwell Muskoka Traditions (file photo)

COVID-19 outbreak at Chartwell Muskoka Traditions declared over

By Dawn Huddlestone, Managing Editor On May 19, 2020 News

Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Email this to someone
email
Print this page
Print

 

 

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) has declared the COVID-19 outbreak at Chartwell Muskoka Traditions retirement home over.

A single case of COVID-19 identified among a staff member or resident in a long-term care or retirement home constitutes an outbreak of the infection under provincial guidelines. For hospitals and groups homes, it’s evidence of transmission on site.

[Related: There have been suggestions in the community that the COVID-19 case reported at Chartwell Muskoka Traditions was a false positive. This information is not accurate, as confirmed for Huntsville Doppler by Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) on May 20. Read more here.]

Chartwell Muskoka Traditions was declared in outbreak on May 4 after a resident—a woman in her 90s—tested positive for COVID-19. According to the SMDHU website, the outbreak was declared over on May 17. It was the only outbreak declared in a Muskoka facility to date, although there have been several in Simcoe County that have had deadly outcomes for some of the residents.

Testing of the 35 staff members and 76 residents at Muskoka Traditions was completed on May 6 by community paramedics, with negative results for all but the one resident who has been hospitalized.

The cause of this outbreak may never be known. The most likely route for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, to enter a long-term care home or retirement home is via a staff member who is infected but asymptomatic, making infection control measures at such homes vitally important.

Dr. Charles Gardner, the medical officer of health for SMDHU, said in a previous media briefing that he is concerned about the vulnerability of long-term care and retirement homes. “There is sufficiently high prevalence [of the virus]  in the community that some healthcare workers may get infected and could transmit for up to 48 hours before showing symptoms,” he said.

Under a provincial directive, health units across the province were tasked with testing every resident and staff member at long-term care homes before May 15—approximately 7,800 tests were completed at 31 sites in Simcoe Muskoka. That process has thus far not yielded any positive results for homes in Simcoe Muskoka that weren’t already in outbreak, although not all results have been received by the health unit as of today. The Province has not yet issued a similar directive for retirement homes, and the health unit continues to closely monitor them.

These testing measures provide a snapshot in time and thus are of limited value, said Dr. Gardner. There is still the potential for outbreaks in the future until a vaccine is developed. To mitigate that possibility, the health unit has also created teams that assess these facilities and provide guidance on infection control and staffing.

On Saturday, May 16, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in his daily briefing that Health Canada has approved the first Canadian clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine, to take place at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University.

And today, Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, announced that the provincial government will launch an independent commission into the province’s long-term care system beginning in September.

 

Don’t miss out on Doppler!

Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox three times per week!

Reader Interactions

1 Comment

  1. William Moore says

    May 22, 2020 at 6:34 pm

    I find the use of the term “outbreak” for a single positive result very inflammatory and unnecessary. It is almost as if the usage of the term is to instill fear amongst the public. Think of the family members who have loved ones who are residents or staff members. They would be terrified hearing that an “outbreak “ had been reported.

    Certainly report on the single positive but, whether the term “outbreak “ meets a clinical definition or not, it is unnecessary to report it to the general public as such.

    Nevertheless, all staff and residents of Long Term Care Facilities should be routinely tested.

Join the discussion (please include your first and last name and follow our community guidelines): Cancel reply

All comments are moderated. Please ensure you include both your first and last name and abide by our community guidelines.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News Stories

Simcoe Muskoka schools to continue online learning until Feb. 10

January 21, 2021 Leave a Comment

COVID-19 in Huntsville: the latest updates

January 19, 2021 Leave a Comment

First round of COVID-19 vaccinations for LTC residents in Simcoe Muskoka now complete

January 19, 2021 3 Comments

Site location for 18 Legacy Lane

Thirty-three-unit bungalow townhouse development on Legacy Lane gets site plan approval

January 19, 2021 3 Comments

COVID in Huntsville/Lake of Bays: by the numbers

January 18, 2021 2 Comments

One new COVID case reported in Huntsville today (Jan. 18), 12 cases are active

January 18, 2021 2 Comments

OPP enforcement under the stay-at-home order

January 18, 2021 6 Comments

One new COVID case reported in Huntsville today (Jan. 15), 11 cases are active

January 15, 2021 Leave a Comment

Photo of Kevin Cameron posted in 2018 on his Facebook page.

Man charged with luring of minors through telecommunication was convicted of similar crimes in 2015

January 15, 2021 1 Comment

District introduces new weekly east-west bus routes

January 15, 2021 4 Comments

  • Recent Stories
  • Popular
  • January 3, 2021 18 Rod Phillips in a video posted to his Twitter account on Christmas Eve, while he vacationed in St. Barts (Rod Phillips / Twitter)

    Listen Up! Partisanship should not be blind | Commentary

  • January 8, 2021 15

    Indigo Rain Flower Farm to provide local, ‘grown not flown’ cut flowers

  • January 13, 2021 12

    Our political discourse is drenched in rage; it doesn’t have to be: MP Scott Aitchison

  • December 27, 2020 11

    Third time’s a charm for Ben Carlin

  • January 10, 2021 11

    Listen Up! Some hard truths | Commentary

  • January 21, 2021 0 Nicole Broadbent said this cloud formation felt like being in a real-life snow globe (Nicole Broadbent)

    Local resident delighted by unusual cloud formation

  • January 21, 2021 0 Minister Lisa MacLeod talks about Ontario 55+ Winter Games Legacy funding via Zoom

    Eight community organizations receive legacy funding from 2019 Ontario 55+ Winter Games

  • January 21, 2021 0

    Simcoe Muskoka schools to continue online learning until Feb. 10

  • January 21, 2021 2 An aerial view of Langmaid's Island in Lake of Bays (supplied)

    Protecting our natural heritage: The Langmaid’s Island story | Commentary

  • January 20, 2021 9

    Shutdown necessary to control COVID-19 and protect healthcare: MPP Norm Miller

  • A Sponsored Profile (286)
  • Around Muskoka (1)
  • Art Fx (3)
  • Breaking (25)
  • Business (211)

Footer

About Doppler

Established in 2015 by a bunch of local news hounds, Doppler strives to be the go-to source for people wanting to know more about what is going on in Huntsville and the surrounding community.

We strive to provide local news that is relevant and timely. We also look to tell local stories that inspire, inform and engage.

Notice the persistent use of the word local? Our mantra is local. From features on local people doing extraordinary things, to local business spotlights, news and sports coverage, all supplemented by provocative opinion pieces on topics near and far, we are working hard for you.

Feel free to drop us a line at huntsville@doppleronline.ca and tell us how we are doing, what you would like to see more of, or to just say ‘Hi’.

Thank you for reading Doppler.

Huntsville Doppler – READ LOCAL

Recent Comments

  • Dawn Huddlestone, Managing Editor on First round of COVID-19 vaccinations for LTC residents in Simcoe Muskoka now complete
  • Sophia Gray on Thirty-three-unit bungalow townhouse development on Legacy Lane gets site plan approval
  • Sandy McLennan on First round of COVID-19 vaccinations for LTC residents in Simcoe Muskoka now complete
  • Paul Clayson on First round of COVID-19 vaccinations for LTC residents in Simcoe Muskoka now complete
  • Peter Crozier on Shutdown necessary to control COVID-19 and protect healthcare: MPP Norm Miller
  • Jim Logagianes on Shutdown necessary to control COVID-19 and protect healthcare: MPP Norm Miller
  • Mary Spring on Shutdown necessary to control COVID-19 and protect healthcare: MPP Norm Miller
  • nancy long on Protecting our natural heritage: The Langmaid’s Island story | Commentary

Copyright © 2021 ·Doppler · Log in
  • About
  • Support Local News
  • Community Guidelines
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Subscribe