Pro-active surveillance testing has confirmed that three residents of Extendicare Maple View nursing home have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The residents are not showing any symptoms of the virus, but have been put in isolation to prevent further transmission, Algoma Public Health reports.

All surveillance testing of Extendicare Maple View staff and residents has been completed and other initial lab results have been returned negative.

“According to Ministry of Health criteria, one single resident or staff who tests positive for COVID-19 in a long-term care home is enough to declare an outbreak,” said Dr. Jennifer Loo, associate medical officer of health at Algoma Public Health. “Our outbreak response team is working with Maple View to identify potential exposures, and to support the care team in putting heightened infection prevention and control measures in place that will reduce the risk of further spread.”

That work includes following provincial protocols and guidance of case and contact management as well as outbreak management. For a resident of a LTCH, this may involve checking logs and charts that document the staff who have provided care for the resident, asking care providers about a resident’s activities, and, of course, asking the residents themselves if they remember being in close contact with other residents, staff, or any essential visitors such as other health-care professionals, said Jon Bouma, APH manager of infectious diseases.

The one-time surveillance testing that is now being completed in the long-term care homes is to try and better understand the burden of COVID-19 in the settings, said Bouma.

“In normal testing circumstances, such as at the assessment centres, COVID-19 testing is not routinely done if a person has no symptoms. This is because results can be hard to interpret clearly in an asymptomatic person,” he said.

If people have no symptoms when they test positive for COVID-19, this can be interpreted in several different ways, Bouma said.

Individuals can be “pre-symptomatic” where they are very early in their course of illness, and they might develop symptoms in the next couple of days or they can be one of the rare individuals who truly don’t show any symptoms and stay asymptomatic when they contract COVID-19.

It may also mean that they have had a very mild course of illness, that wasn’t noticeable, and they are now recovering from their illness. During the recovery stage, sometimes the test can still pick up pieces of the COVID-19 virus, which may not necessarily be viable or “live” virus that is capable of further infection, Bouma said.

Preventative actions are in place in all long-term care homes.

All residents, staff and essential visitors, are screened for symptoms daily, including temperature checks.

Visitor restrictions have been in place since early March.

Within the homes, group activities have been discontinued, all staff and essential visitors are required to wear masks and any resident who develops symptoms is tested immediately.

Earlier this week, APH reported the region had 13 positive cases reported over the past two months, and all which had been cleared or resolved.

Meanwhile, Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan, MPP Ross Romano and Mayor Christian Provenzano, issued a joint statement Thursday in response to reports of the Maple View outbreak.

“Throughout this unprecedented health crisis, the prime minister, cabinet ministers and our members of parliament have, and, continue to, take swift action to support vulnerable individuals, seniors, frontline workers, families, and businesses in our communities,” Sheehan said. “The infection prevention work of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) in protecting Canada’s healthcare workers and our vulnerable populations from COVID-19 infection is critical.”

Romano said he’s contacted Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Ontario’s minister of long-term care, and Premier Doug Ford, advising them of the positive test results at Maple View.

“We are actively monitoring the situation,” said Romano. “The premier has noted the importance of more testing to ensure we can stay ahead of COVID-19. Now, more than ever, we need to take every measure to protect our most vulnerable citizens and our frontline workers.”

Provenzano said, “We all have a role to play in flattening the curve and slowing the spread of COVID-19. I have been impressed by the effort, care, and kindness shown across our community and I am confident in our collective ability to keep focused on the immediate goal.”

APH has been taking “appropriate” precautions for this type of scenario, and “appropriate” safety and staffing measures will be taken to protect the most vulnerable and frontline health-care workers, the statement reads.

They urge the public to continue to follow the advice of public health professionals, which includes self-isolating if any COVID-19 symptoms are present, staying home as much as possible, practising social distancing, hand washing and avoiding face touching.

Any family members with questions or concerns may contact Maple View administrator Barb Harten at 705-574-3000 ext. 1110. Extendicare Maple View staff or essential visitors who have any concerns may also contact Harten or Algoma Public Health at 705-759-5404. The Ministry of Long-Term Care is now reporting 174 outbreaks in long-term care facilities with 2,819 confirmed cases of the virus in residents and 1,621 confirmed cases in staff. The ministry has also reported 1,074 resident deaths attributed to COVID-19. There are 41 homes with resolved outbreaks.

Public Health Ontario is reporting 223 outbreaks at long-term care homes with 2,576 confirmed cases in residents, 1,293 confirmed cases in staff, and 653 resident deaths. Public Health Ontario is also reporting outbreaks at 79 retirement homes and 69 hospitals.