Photo: COVID-19 Care Unit at Miramichi Lodge long-term care home in Pembroke
The chapel at Miramichi Lodge long-term care home in Pembroke has been turned into a COVID-19 care unit. Three residents are currently being isolated after testing positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Director of Long-Term Care for the County of Renfrew, Shelley Sheedy, says after the first confirmed case they tested all residents and found two others who had low levels of the virus.
Sheedy says all three residents who currently have COVID-19 had received their first dose of the vaccine. She adds the two residents who had low levels of the virus in their system have not shown any symptoms. Sheedy says while two of the residents lived on the same unit, there was no known contact between the three cases.
Renfrew County and District Heath Unit Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Cushman has previously said, while a single dose of vaccine has been shown to significantly reduce serious illness, labs have been reporting low-level positive tests in asymptomatic residents who have received the vaccine.
Sheedy says when the pandemic first hit almost 20 staff members volunteered to work with residents who tested positive.
The Director of Long-Term Care says these staff members don’t work with anyone else at the home.
Sheedy adds they were hoping to escape from the pandemic without having any resident outbreaks, but says they’ve been preparing for a year and have learned from other homes that have worse outcomes.
Director of Care at Miramichi Lodge, Jennifer White, will lead a presentation at the County of Renfrew Health Committee meeting on March 17th, 2021 discussing the recent outbreak and response that has been implemented.
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Additional cases of COVID-19 in residents at Miramichi Lodge