Journal staff
The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Sarnia-Lambton climbed to 98 Thursday, up from 87 reported Wednesday.
Bluewater Health is also reporting an additional death on its COVID-19 update page, bringing the total number of deaths to nine.
Eight people are now listed as recovered.
Five deaths are now linked to an outbreak of the virus at Landmark Village seniors’ home, where another staff member has tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases there to 22 (fifteen residents and seven staff).
Additional test swabs are arriving in Sarnia-Lambton, Lambton Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Sudit Ranade, said in a media call Thursday.
“Hopefully, if we get more swabs, we can start doing swabs in more places, which is to say setting up more facilities."
Wider testing would better identify people with COVID-19 who show no symptoms, he added.
“We definitely want to make sure if we’re setting up that expectation (of more tests) ,that we can meet it.”
There are no restrictions on personal support staff from working at more than one retirement home or long-term care facility, Ranade noted, as is often the case with the profession.
Restricting them would likely impact staffing numbers at certain sites, creating another issue for operators.
Currently, 25 people with confirmed COVID-19 are being treated at Bluewater Health, while an additional 11 patients in hospital (presumed to have the virus) are awaiting test results.
A total of 582 tests have now been conducted locally (up from 520 reported Wednesday), both in hospital and at the community assessment centre, with 84 pending, and 400 negative results.
Across the province, 483 new cases were reported Thursday, bringing the provincial total to 5,759, while 200 people have died, and 2,305 have recovered.