There are now 37 active COVID-19 cases across Chatham-Kent.
The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit updated their ‘current situation’ page, which provides a summary of COVID-19 cases and testing in Chatham-Kent, on Monday, December 21, 2020.
A new school outbreak was declared at St. Anne Catholic School in Blenheim on December 20, 2020.
Public health officials say there are two active cases at the school.
There is one active institutional outbreak in Chatham-Kent, at Fairfield Park in Wallaceburg.
“We can confirm that one staff member from Fairfield Park has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and remains off work in self isolation,” Tracey Maxim, administrator at the long-term care home, told the Sydenham Current.
“No residents from Fairfield Park have been diagnosed with COVID-19. We have taken swift action to halt any spread of the virus and are working in close partnership with Dr. Colby and his team at the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit to ensure every possible step to taken to protect our residents and staff.”
Maxim said the Fairfield Park staff are following all of the COVID-19 directives of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
“These steps include swabbing all residents within the home, isolating residents who may have had contact with this staff member, vigilant monitoring of residents and staff for symptoms, the use of appropriate protective equipment, and heightened cleaning throughout the home,” Maxim said.
“Our dedicated staff are going above and beyond during this difficult time to ensure our residents’ safety and well-being.”
The outbreak at Riverview Gardens, a long-term care home in Chatham, was declared over on December 19, 2020, public health officials say.
The outbreak at Riverview Gardens had been put in place on December 1, 2020.
There is also one active workplace outbreak, which is not open to the public.
The total number of cases has increased to 584.
18 of the active cases are linked to close contact, seven are unknown, six are linked to the workplace outbreak in Chatham-Kent, three cases have information pending, two are linked to the school outbreak and one case is linked to the outbreak at Fairfield Park.
CK Public Health officials say one person from Chatham-Kent is currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
To date, 544 people have recovered from the virus in Chatham-Kent, while three people have died.
A total of 50,703 tests for the virus have been completed to date.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent remains in the ‘Yellow-Protect’ tier of the Province of Ontario’s Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework, Provincial officials announced on Monday, December 21, 2020.
However, as of 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, December 26, 2020, Chatham-Kent will join a province-wide shutdown, for a period of 28 days.
“Until then, Chatham-Kent will remain in the ‘Yellow-Protect’ tier of the framework,” CK Public Health officials posted on social media on Monday.
More details about the province-wide shutdown can be found, here.
Public health officials are encouraging people to continue following these public health measures:
More details about the ‘Yellow-Protect’ tier can be found, here.
To view the full ‘current situation’ page from CK Public Health, click here.
For more information about COVID-19, residents are asked to visit
http://www.ckpublichealth.com/covid19Â or call the CK Public Health COVID-19 intake line at 519-355-1071 ex. 1900.
