Two Brockville long-term-care homes in COVID-19 outbreak

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Two Brockville long-term-care homes remain in COVID-19 outbreak, Ontario Health reported on Thursday.

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Sherwood Park Manor has fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff members who have tested positive for the virus, while St. Lawrence Lodge has seven staffers out with the virus and fewer than five residents with COVID-19.

Neither home has reported any deaths from the virus, according to the provincial government agency.

The two Brockville homes were among 63 across Ontario that were in outbreak on Thursday. The outbreaks affected 168 residents, which was 30 fewer than on Wednesday, and 137 staff, a one-day improvement of 14.

COVID-19 remained low among schools in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark on Wednesday with only one – St. James Catholic Education in Smiths Falls – reporting an absentee rate of more than 30 per cent.

St. James had an absentee rate of 33.3 per cent of students but remains open, according to the government tally.

Ontario Public Health has set an absentee rate of 30 per cent or higher as a warning sign for COVID outbreaks in schools, but it cautions that the figures cover absentees for all reasons, including dentist appointments and the like.

With the exception of St. Luke Catholic in Kemptville with 20.6 per cent, all other schools in the health region reported well less than a 20-per-cent absentee rate.

The improving school and long-term-care numbers join declining hospitalization rates to indicate that the Omicron variant is loosening its grip in Ontario.

On Thursday, the government reported 834 patients in hospital with COVID, 13 fewer, and 267 residents in intensive care units, which was six fewer than the previous day.

The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit didn’t report its hospital numbers on Thursday, but there were five residents in hospital on the previous day.

In Ottawa, there were 11 people in hospital with COVID, none of whom required intensive care.

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit reported six COVID patients. None were in an intensive care unit.

Across Ontario, there were 2,262 new cases of the virus on Thursday. Thirty-one of them were in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark.

The province recorded 17 more COVID deaths on Thursday.

wlowrie@postmedia.com