COVID-19 has been detected in a swab test of an employee of Fairhaven who works on Riverside Special Care. Peterborough Public Health (PPH) confirmed the test result this morning in a telephone call shortly before noon. Unfortunately, PPH had been contacted by a member of the local media, before Fairhaven had been fully briefed and able to contact employees and families. This lead to many people receiving messages from friends and family before we were able to provide information, further to our email of yesterday, regarding the confirmed test result. I wish I could say that we have control over when information is passed on to others, and transmitted through social media. I understand the stress this can cause and I truly wish the news had not been transmitted that way and that we had a chance to inform our people first of the confirmation.
A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared and the following details are important to remember:
- There have been no positive test results received for Residents
- We continue to work closely and daily with PPH to monitor and contain the situation
- All Residents and all staff members will be tested, starting today in Riverside Special Care
- Contact tracing, by PPH, will occur for the staff member who tested positive. For instance, people (both from Fairhaven and in the community), that have been identified as having been within six feet of the individual who tested positive, without wearing PPE, will be notified
- All general and caregiver visits will cease until the outbreak is declared over. Palliative visits will be decided on a case by case basis.
- All Resident leaves will cease until the outbreak is declared over.
- Enhanced house cleaning, and extra disinfection for high touch surfaces will continue
- Hand hygiene and social distancing remain the best way to stop the spread of infection.
- If staff have wore their PPE, and have not had unprotected contact with the individual in question, they are definitely at very low risk for having the virus.
I completely understand the fear of COVID-19, especially when one has children or older relatives that you are in contact with. Please remember that our Home has had strict standards of disinfection and infection control protocols since March and this will serve us well as we contain the virus. This will not be easy, especially given other events that have occurred this week, but we have always met challenges the best when working together and I know everyone will co-operate and support each other though the outbreak.
Thank you for everything that you all do.
Comments are closed