Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reporting a confirmed case of COVID-19 in an employee of Extendicare Falconbridge, prompting an outbreak declaration. The individual was tested as part of routine surveillance testing of long-term care home staff across the province.
As per the most recent provincial directives, outbreaks of COVID-19 are not automatically declared in long-term care homes and other congregate settings with the confirmation of one case.
Public health assesses each unique situation in determining if an outbreak should be declared, including, for example, occupation, exposures in the home, symptoms of the case, specific risk factors, and local epidemiology. In these circumstances, the assessment of case No. 71 led to an outbreak declaration. Case No. 69, which was previously reported, was also an employee at this long-term care home.
The latest case is a woman in her 50s. Her exposure category is contact of a case with unknown exposure. She was tested July 22, and is self-isolating.
