Landmark Village and Petrolia’s Lambton Meadowview Villa first to be tested

Every resident and employee of the two long term care homes with COVID-19 outbreaks are being tested for the virus starting today.

When the novel coronavirus was first detected in Lambton County March 25, there were few tests kits available. When residents at Landmark Village in Sarnia started getting sick, only those with the most serious symptoms were tested. So far, six residents at Landmark Village have died – 23 people have tested positive for COVID-19 including seven staff members. But the entire community was not tested.

Lambton’s Medical Officer of Health repeatedly told reporters test swabs were in tight supply. Since the treatment for COVID-19 wouldn’t change with a positive test result – Dr. Sudit Ranade said he would rather use the scarce resources to confirm new cases.

Ranade said at the time public health officials have had a hard time getting the testing swabs. Now those supply chains have opened up.

In the last 10 days, the province has been able to secure all the supplies need and ramped up the ability to process the tests. Last week, Premier Doug Ford vowed there would be 13,000 tests a day.

Julia Oosterman says the new COVID-19 assessment centre at Petrolia’s Central Lambton Family Health Team is part of that effort to test more people.

So is a mobile unit operated by Lambton EMS’s Paramedicine unit.

“The mobile unit is for people unable to travel to the hospital,” says Oosterman. “We already have an existing relationship with Lambton County EMS. So the Community Paramedicine Program is helping today.”

The paramedics had already been traveling to homes to give the swab tests. They’ve completed 60 tests in the community.

Thursday, the Paramedicine team, along with Bluewater Health and Lambton Public Health, were at Landmark Village.

“We’re going to test every resident and staff member,” says Oosterman. “We’re starting with Landmark and Meadowview…there are 140 residents in Landmark.

Jane Joris, general manager of long term care for Lambton County says testing also began at Meadowview Thursday.

Lambton Public Health declared an outbreak at the Petrolia home Wednesday after an employee giving direct care to residents tested positive for the virus.

“This has mobilized incredibly quickly …in the last 24 hours.”

Oosterman says after testing at Landmark Village and Meadowview Villa is complete the rest of the residents and staff in Lambton’s retirement and long-term care homes will be tested.