Staff member at Winnipeg personal care home tests positive for highly contagious coronavirus variant
Facility has implemented appropriate infection control protocols and situation is stable, WRHA says
A staff member at the Heritage Lodge Personal Care Home in Winnipeg has tested positive for the highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in the U.K., the health region says.
The facility has implemented appropriate infection control and outbreak measures, and the situation is considered stable, a personal care home update released on Tuesday says.
An outbreak was declared at the care home on Wednesday after a staff member tested positive, according to a statement from Revera, the company that owns the care home.
Larry Roberts, a spokesperson for Revera says the company learned the person had the B117 coronavirus variant on Saturday.
Since then, one resident has also tested positive, and the facility is waiting on results of the test to confirm whether it's the same strain.
"We are committed to doing everything we can to protect the health and safety of our residents, staff members and their families. We are working very closely with Public Health officials and continue to follow strict pandemic outbreak protocols and infection control practices," said Dr. Rhonda Collins, Revera's chief medical officer, in a statement sent to CBC News on Tuesday.
Most residents who consented have received both doses of the vaccine, and vaccinations for staff are ongoing, she added.
Officials have now identified 55 variant of concern cases in the province, with 32 of the cases announced in the last two days.
As of Tuesday, 24 are considered active, a provincial spokesperson said.
CBC News has reached out to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority for more information.