The administrator at the Bobcaygeon, Ont., nursing home which has been ravaged by a deadly coronavirus outbreak says “many” of the home’s residents have now tested negative for COVID-19.

Mary Carr didn’t provide an exact number of residents at Pinecrest Nursing Home in the village 50 kilometres north of Peterborough.

Since an outbreak was declared at the 65-bed facility, 28 residents have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. A spouse of a resident also died of COVID-19 complications.

A change in data from the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit on Thursday determined one resident did not die of COVID-19.

The last death at the facility was reported on April 9, so it’s now been 15 days without a death, Carr notes.

“Following public health’s retesting of residents earlier this week, I am pleased to report that many of our residents have tested negative for COVID-19,” she said.

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“We are currently in the process of reaching out to families individually to update them on the status of their loved one. This news is uplifting for our staff who continue to dedicate their time and compassion to the care and comfort of our residents.”

Carr said Wednesday that the Bobcaygeon Town Crier visited the home to honour and salute the home’s frontline staff.

“We are so grateful for moments like these as the support of the community truly gives us the strength to keep moving forward,” she said.

Last Friday, resident Lorraine Button, 91, was permitted to go for a walk — the first resident to leave the facility since the outbreak was declared. She had tested positive for COVID-19 on April 1.

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