Riverview Gardens.  (File photo by Natalia Vega)Riverview Gardens. (File photo by Natalia Vega)
Chatham

Riverview Gardens service provider tests positive for COVID-19

A contract worker who recently visited a long-term care home in Chatham has tested positive for COVID-19.

Dr. David Colby, the medical officer of health for Chatham-Kent, said the service provider attended Riverview Gardens and had contact with "a limited number" of individuals during a single visit at the home. The worker was also wearing full personal protective equipment at the time.

"Despite the low probability of transmission, considering the vulnerability of the population, we are exercising an abundance of caution in isolating all close contacts resulting from this visit," Dr. Colby said in a statement posted to the long-term care home's Facebook page. "Contacts have no chance of passing the infection to others unless they become infected and we will monitor them carefully during their isolation period.”

The announcement of possible COVID-19 exposure at a CK long-term care home comes the same week cases of the virus surged in the municipality. A total of 46 new cases have been reported in Chatham-Kent since Monday, five of which were confirmed on Friday.

Colby has said the majority of the new cases are from close contacts "within families".

There have been 219 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent since the pandemic started.

Colby told Blackburn News on Thursday that he did not believe the general public in Chatham-Kent is at significant risk and that community spread is unlikely. However, he said he anticipates that more cases will emerge.

"All staff and visitors [at Riverview Gardens] are asked to be vigilant in wearing masks and frequently hand wash, as we follow protocols from the public health unit and the province of Ontario. Everyone’s safety is [the] number one priority," the long-term care home said in a post on Facebook.

-With files from Paul Pedro

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