Nineteen now ill in Vision Nursing Home COVID-19 outbreak

Ontario reports lowest number of new daily cases this month

Cannabis grower High Park Farms in Enniskillen is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak.

It’s one of four new workplace outbreaks in Lambton County over the weekend.

Lambton Public Health doesn’t identify workplaces in outbreak unless there is a concern for the wider public health. But The Independent has obtained an internal memo issued Friday which said six production workers had tested positive for the virus. Since then, Lambton Public Health says there has been another case reported in the workplace.

The memo, sent to staff, says “Everyone who has tested positive live together and are production employees. These people were close contacts with the initial positive case we advised you of on Jan. 13, 2021.”

The company has three bunkhouses where migrant farm workers live. The affected bunkhouse, according to multiple sources, houses 12 people. In the first wave of COVID-19, some of the biggest outbreaks were in greenhouse operations where migrant workers lived communally.

Company officials told employees they are working with Lambton Public Health and there is “no additional risk to any of us continuing to work.”

There is also a second large workplace outbreak with seven employees who have tested positive – public health has not released the location of that outbreak.

Meantime, a COVID-19 outbreak at Vision Nursing Home has spread rapidly. Friday, one staff member tested positive for the virus; today Lambton Public health says there are 16 residents and three staff members ill.

In all, eight long term care homes are in outbreak in Lambton including Village on the St. Clair, where two residents have died, 22 residents (up one) and eight staff members (up one over the weekend) have tested positive for the virus.

The outbreak at Twin Lakes Terrace has also grown with 16 residents (up one) and five staff members (up three) with COVID-19.

Three more Lambton residents have also passed away. Friday, a resident of Twin Lakes Terrace passed away at Bluewater Health. On Sunday, a 70 year-old Lambton resident who was in hospital in London died. Also on Sunday, a 90 year-old who tested positive died at home.

In all, there were 31 new positive cases reported by Lambton Public Health Monday with 240, people actively ill – up 2, and another 27 people are listed as recovered.

In Ontario today, there were 2,578 cases – the lowest number of daily COVID-19 cases reported in January. There were 27 deaths in long term care homes reported today bring the number of seniors dead in the second wave to 1,302.