Extendicare Kapuskasing COVID-19 Update

As of 4:00 pm on Sunday January 24, there has been no change in the number of positive residents or team members at Extendicare Kapuskasing. The home continues to meet daily with the Porcupine Health Unit, Sensenbrenner Hospital, Ontario Health, our Local Health Integration Network team and all parties are working together to protect residents and staff.

We continue to have 27 residents with active cases of COVID-19. All residents continue to isolate in their rooms, where they are being provided with meals and individual care and support. We continue to have three active cases among our care team, all of whom are recovering in self-isolation at home until cleared by Public Health to return to work.

Residents are being closely monitored for symptoms. Should any resident exhibit symptoms, we work with public health to ensure they are tested immediately. Ongoing resident testing and regular, weekly staff testing is a critical part of our surveillance efforts to identify and isolate any new instances of the virus as quickly as possible in an effort to contain virus spread. As advised by the Porcupine Health Unit, all negative residents will be re-tested on Wednesday.

We continue to add staff to support our care team, including further registered staff and personal support workers on-site as of this weekend, and have been receiving additional support from our health partners in ensuring enhanced care to our residents. We continue to proactively audit the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment, hand hygiene and cleaning services with our staff, and the home remains under strict contact and droplet precaution protocols. We are working with the Porcupine Health Unit to assist our clinical staff in educating and monitoring all infection control procedures to help limit virus spread.

We are saddened to confirm that one additional resident who has previously tested positive for COVID-19 has passed away since the onset of the outbreak. We have been in touch with this resident’s family to offer our heartfelt condolences. We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from our community during this challenging time.

Our focus at this time is solely on providing quality care to our residents, keeping our families informed and supporting our staff. We will continue to keep in close contact with our residents, staff and families until this virus is removed from our home.