By Stephanie Chaves
May 6, 2020 7:40am

There’s been another COVID-19 death linked to Vision Nursing Home but there are positive developments in Sarnia’s other two institutional outbreaks.

Lambton Public Health updated its website late Tuesday night to report the 16th death in the community because of the virus.

An outbreak was declared at the Wellington Street long-term care facility on April 23, after four residents and two staff members tested positive for the virus. The latest death comes just one day after a 15th victim, in their 80s, died Monday at the home.

Lambton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Sudit Ranade told reporters in a media briefing that not everyone is necessarily transported to hospital.

“Some people have in advance that there’s certain kind of care that they do not wish to receive, and in those kind of circumstances people may not be transmitted to the hospital if they would end up or if they would have refused the kind of treatments that would have been offered at the hospital anyways,” said Ranade. “So I’m not saying that’s what happened in these situations, but I am aware of many, many situations where people with an illness would choose not to go to the hospital.”

On a positive note, the health unit said an outbreak at Sumac Lodge is now over. No new cases were confirmed at the Blackwell Road facility, since one staff member tested positive for the novel coronavirus late last month.

Dr. Ranade told Sue Storr on CHOK (103.9 FM, 1070 AM) Wednesday morning that he’s hopeful the deadly outbreak at Landmark Village retirement home will be over this week. It was declared March 26 and the numbers have remained steady recently at 40 confirmed cases, 30 among residents, and six deaths.

Across Sarnia-Lambton, no new cases have been reported since Monday, while 122 people have now recovered.

Lambton Public Health has received the results from 3,469 COVID-19 tests, of which 94 per cent have come back negative.

Bluewater Health reported Wednesday morning that eight people are still in hospital with the virus and 8 patients are suspected of having it with tests pending.

-With files from Sue Storr