COVID-19-infected residents at Sarnia's Vision Nursing Home were being moved to Bluewater Health to gain control of the deadly outbreak at the long-term care facility.
There have been 48 positive cases at the Wellington Street home, evenly split between residents and staff, since the outbreak was declared April 23. Nine residents are still battling the virus and seven have died.
Bluewater Health Chief of Communications & Public Affairs, Julia Oosterman, said the relocated residents will be treated in a special unit at the Sarnia hospital.
"By removing the current COVID-positives, the hope is that Bluewater Health and Vision together can really focus on securing the home in its current state," said Oosterman. "Improving opportunities there to not only reduce the transmission of the virus but really deep clean, get everything ready for, in about a week's time, hopefully for those individuals when they come back to Vision."
All Vision residents will be returning as soon as they are COVID-free.
It was announced earlier this week that Bluewater Health was collaborating with staff at Vision, and providing management assistance, to contain the outbreak. The hospital has cared for almost 60 COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic and said it's well-versed in virus management, infection control, and ensuring quality health outcomes.
"The care the residents have received at Vision has been great, no questions asked. It is really a question of bringing them into hospital, relieving some of the burden on the care teams in Vision and just having them at the hospital so everyone can simply make sure the home is ready to go for when they come back but also frankly to continue to get exemplary care to those nine individuals in the hospital setting."
Of the 24 Vision staff that have been infected, 16 are currently positive.
-With files from Dave Dentinger