Three more lives have been lost as part of the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the Roberta Place long-term care home in Barrie.
Roberta Place community relations coordinator Stephanie Barber reported today that resident deaths have climbed to 53 since yesterday’s numbers (50) were reported.
The number of positive cases in residents remained at 128, while the number of team members who have tested positive fell to 84 from 89 reported Thursday.
Barber told BarrieToday the number of active cases for residents is cumulative.
“The numbers include those who have passed away, may be in the hospital, or may still be within the home,” said Barber. “It's similar to the cumulative reporting in the province of total cases that have occurred overall.”
Barber also said that in terms of the team member cases, “there have been a number of resolved cases, coupled with a few new cases over the course of the week, hence why you are seeing fluctuations in case counts.”
Barber cited the last few days as an example.
- Tuesday, Jan. 26 - 92 positive team member cases
- Wednesday, Jan. 27 - 86 positive team member cases
- Thursday, Jan. 28 - 89 positive team member cases
- Friday, Jan. 29 - 84 positive team member cases
The long-term care home has been under an outbreak declaration since Jan. 8, with the first death coming the next day.
On Jan. 23, public health officials identified the B.1.1.7. variant as the source of the local outbreak. Known as the UK variant, this strain of the virus is more contagious than the original COVID-19 virus.
In addition to the 50 residents deaths, an essential caregiver associated with the home had previously passed away, bringing the total lives lost from the outbreak to 54.
