Lambton Public Health has declared an outbreak at Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia after one of the residents tested positive for COVID-19.

It’s the 12th outbreak in Lambton as the number of people testing positive for the virus surges to numbers not seen before during the pandemic.

In a news release this morning, Chad Ikert, Manager of Health Protection for Lambton Public Health says officials are “continuing to conduct case and contact management as part of the investigation” at Vision Nursing Home. An outbreak is declared at long term care homes when one case has been detected.

This is not the first time Vision has faced a COVID-19 outbreak. From April 23 to June 10, 26 residents tested positive for COVID-19 and 10 died. Another 28 staff were ill. COVID-19 positive residents were eventually taken to Bluewater Health’s COVID-19 unit to recover and according to officials at the time, give the staff a break.

Vision is not the only long term care home on high alert. Both Lambton Meadowview Villa in Petrolia and Marshall Gowland Manor in Sarnia are monitoring staff and residents after two separate contractors told the county they had tested positive for the virus and had been in the homes. So far, residents and staff in both homes are still COVID-free.

The elderly are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. As of Dec. 23, the last day statistics are available because of the Christmas holiday, there were 162 long term care home in outbreak with 1,075 residents and 976 staff ill across Ontario. Data from the provincial government shows 730 seniors in long term care have died since September of COVID-19.

The outbreak at Vision is one of 12 under investigation by public health right now. Saturday, three more workplace outbreaks, including one with five workers ill, were declared.

There is also an outbreak at Great Lakes Secondary School, where two people have tested positive.

The number of COVID-19 cases have been quickly rising in Lambton. On Dec. 22 – less than a week ago – the county recorded the most COVID-19 cases in a single day with 24. Yesterday, figures from the Ontario government show Lambton recorded 37 cases in one day.

There have been 261 people test positive with COVID-19 in December – 108 of those since Dec. 22.