COVID-19 at Yee Hong

Peel Public Health declared the COVID outbreak over at our Mississauga Centre on Monday, February 22. In total 15 residents and 5 staff tested positive for the virus in January and February. Everyone recovered. Congratulations to the Mississauga Centre and thank you to Mississauga families as well for your trust and patience.

Residents who tested positive in January for COVID-19 are beginning to return to their rooms after recovering from the virus. There are presently nine residents in total who are positive for the virus and they are receiving care in the Centre’s isolation unit. One resident who transferred to hospital has returned safely in stable health.

Eligible residents who consent to COVID vaccination are receiving their second doses yesterday and today. This second dose is required to reach full immunity.

Enhanced cleaning and disinfection continues on all resident floors and in common areas, and our staff are assigned to only one floor to prevent contamination across units. Daily audits occur to ensure the facility is thoroughly clean, and staff members follow the strictest infection prevention steps. Frequent testing of all staff and all residents occurs frequently as required by Public Health and Ministry guidelines.

Frequent testing, enhanced hygiene and strict containment measures continue at the Mississauga Centre. Ten residents in total are positive for the virus, all from the same floor. This includes three new cases identified in swabs collected on February 1. The Centre’s isolation unit is providing care to residents 24/7 and one resident has been admitted to hospital. Peel Public Health declared an outbreak on January 21 at the Mississauga Centre after an employee tested positive during routine surveillance.

To date, four employees have tested positive for the virus and one has returned to work after completing two weeks of COVID quarantine. New surveillance testing occurs every Tuesday for everyone working in the building. Employees isolate at home after a positive test and their return to work is determined by public health guidelines.

Yee Hong provides frequent updates to staff and the families of affected residents as new information becomes available. Currently there are no positive cases recorded at Yee Hong Centres in other parts of the Greater Toronto Area. Second doses of the Moderna vaccine are planned for Yee Hong residents in all four Centres this month.

During the pandemic’s second wave, vaccines offer us a lifeline. The first shipments of the Moderna vaccine were administered to consenting and eligible residents in all four homes during the week of January 10. A second dose is required to reach effective immunity. LHIN and Public Health plan to administer second doses in February at each Yee Hong Centre.

Yee Hong expects and encourages all employees to enrol for vaccines. More than one thousand doses were administered to staff in December and January. Employees in long-term care, Home Support Services, administration and elsewhere are all eligible. Although Canadian deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine were briefly interrupted in January, our employees will not see a delay receiving their second doses.

Everyone in Ontario makes a personal choice to vaccinate because these treatments are not mandatory. Some people will opt out, and other residents and employees will be ineligible to receive the vaccine because of their personal health. In all our homes we are planning for a small number of people who will not be protected by vaccines.

The scientific evidence shows the vaccine is safe and highly effective to prevent COVID disease but it has not yet been shown if a vaccinated person can transmit the virus. Masking and IPAC measures will continue in our Centres for the foreseeable future, and weekly surveillance testing for all staff is still required by Public Health in all long-term care homes.

One positive COVID test result was returned Tuesday, December 29 at the Markham Centre. Weekly surveillance testing of all staff revealed an employee is positive for the virus. The employee is isolating at home on the instructions of York Region Public Health.

In addition to the existing best-practice infection control measures (enhanced hygiene, cohorting of staff to prevent contamination across floors and between teams) already in place to contain the virus, staff on the affected floor will wear additional PPE. Frequent audits occur to verify staff members follow the strictest infection prevention steps. Staff and the families of affected residents will be kept abreast of developments as new information becomes available.

COVID-19 has been detected in an employee of the Scarborough-McNicoll Centre, and Toronto Public Health has declared an outbreak on the affected floor. In addition to the existing best-practice infection control measures (enhanced hygiene, cohorting of staff to prevent contamination across floors and between teams) already in place to contain the virus, staff on the affected floor will wear additional PPE. Frequent audits occur to verify staff members follow the strictest infection prevention steps. Staff and the families of affected residents will be kept abreast of developments as new information becomes available.

On Monday, December 14 a resident of the Finch Centre was tested for COVID-19 while on a planned medical outing. A positive result was returned yesterday. An outbreak at that offsite medical setting was declared and is the likely cause of COVID exposure.

All staff at the Finch Centre have tested negative for the virus and there is no evidence of illness among residents on the affected floor. A next round of COVID testing is already under way for staff and residents to confirm the virus is not present in the Finch Centre.

The resident was already on isolation due to the medical outing, and was transferred to hospital for ongoing medical treatment unrelated to their COVID status. We wish our resident a quick recovery and a prompt return to their home at the Finch Centre. More information will be reported to the staff and families affected as it becomes available.

A resident of the Yee Hong Mississauga Centre transferred to hospital on the weekend. Later that day, the hospital recorded a positive test for COVID-19 and the resident passed away. We are saddened by this loss and have shared our condolences with family, friends and caregivers left behind.

Yee Hong is carefully assessing what risk this positive test result might pose to other residents at Yee Hong’s Mississauga Centre. After an employee’s positive test for COVID two weeks ago, additional precautions were put in place for the affected floor including our strictest infection prevention measures. All staff and all residents have been repeatedly tested in the last two weeks and all the results returned are negative for COVID-19.

The Mississauga Centre team is ready and able to contain the spread of the virus. Enhanced cleaning and disinfection continues on all resident floors and in common areas, and our staff are assigned to only one floor to prevent contamination across units. Daily audits occur to ensure the facility is properly clean, and staff members follow the strictest infection prevention steps. More information will be reported to the staff and families affected as it becomes available.

COVID-19 has been detected in an employee of the Mississauga Centre, and Peel Public Health has declared an outbreak on the affected floor. In addition to the existing best-practice infection control measures (enhanced hygiene, cohorting of staff to prevent contamination across floors and between teams) already in place to contain the virus, staff on the affected floor will wear additional PPE. Frequent audits occur to verify staff members follow the strictest infection prevention steps.

The risk of spread to others at the Centre appears low. The employee last worked with Yee Hong residents on November 26, and had no symptoms of illness at that time. Weekly COVID testing on December 1 confirmed no other Mississauga Centre employees are positive for the virus, and residents show no symptoms of respiratory illness on the floor where the employee last worked. Employee testing resumes tomorrow, December 8, for everyone who works in the building.

Staff and the families of affected residents will be kept abreast of developments as new information becomes available.

One resident of the Yee Hong Markham Centre has tested positive for COVID-19. York Region Public Health confirmed the test results from a swab collected November 13, 2020. The resident is stable and has transferred from their floor to our isolation unit in the Markham Centre where we can safely provide care without risk of transmission to staff and other residents.

One staff member tested positive for the virus last week, and the resident who tested positive is a close contact. All residents on the affected floor completed COVID tests at the same time and the others are confirmed negative for the virus. York Region Public Health declared the outbreak on one floor only. Staff and the families of affected residents will be kept abreast of developments as new detail becomes available.

The Markham Centre team is ready and able to contain the spread of the virus. Enhanced hygiene measures are in place, cohorting of staff will prevent contamination across floors and between teams, and frequent audits occur to verify staff members follow the strictest infection prevention steps.

York Region Public Health lifted the COVID-19 outbreak at our Markham Centre on November 1, 2020. As the pandemic’s second wave continues throughout the Greater Toronto Area, at Yee Hong we remain vigilant against the virus. The Markham team showed courage and skill which helped us to reach our shared goal after almost two months of struggle.

On behalf of Yee Hong we want to thank our employees, physicians, and managers. This is a bittersweet milestone for the Yee Hong family. We feel relief after the fear has passed, tired from concentration and hard work, and sad about suffering and loss. We are also grateful for help along this journey from the other Yee Hong Centres, Yee Hong’s Community and Professional Services division, York Region Public Health, Markham Stouffville Hospital and the provincial government. It took all of us together to beat the virus.

We learned that COVID-19 is elusive and spreads easily. We take care to limit pandemic risks using widespread and thorough cleaning and disinfection practices, training to prevent and control infection, active COVID screening, abundant supplies of personal protective equipment and biweekly surveillance testing for all employees. Staff in all our divisions are adding new precautions developed during our Markham experience. Yee Hong is taking the Markham Centre’s lessons seriously.

Yee Hong won’t let COVID interfere with our tradition of caring and our commitment to excellence. Although the virus is changing us in many ways, Markham employees demonstrated our deep, deep commitment to our Yee Hong seniors that won’t be shaken.

Another resident recovered and discharged from the Markham Centre’s COVID isolation unit back to their resident room. This was the last resident receiving care in our unit. One employee remains at home in isolation after a positive COVID test.

Two more residents have recovered and discharged from the Markham Centre’s isolation unit back to the resident rooms. One resident remains in the unit while they continue to recover from COVID-19. One employee remains at home in isolation, and will return to work following clearance from Public Health.

As of Monday, five residents recovered and discharged from the Markham Centre’s isolation unit back to the resident rooms. Three others remain in the unit while they continue to recover from COVID-19. One employee remains at home in isolation, and will return to work following clearance from Public Health.

Yee Hong tests continuously for COVID infection anytime symptoms are present, when exposure is suspected, and every other week to monitor the health status of long-term care staff. Staff surveillance results for the Markham Centre testing on September 24th have all returned negative. A new round of surveillance testing for all staff will occur Thursday, October 8.

COVID-19 cases increased at the Markham Centre, where an outbreak was declared earlier this month. Six residents in total are in the Centre’s isolation unit after three new residents tested positive for the virus. Two other residents discharged from the isolation unit and returned to their rooms.

To date, no new employee cases have been identified. However, laboratory results are not yet complete after a round of testing on September 24.

Additional staff from other Yee Hong facilities are redeploying to Markham to support that Centre’s hardworking team. All staff in the building are assigned to separate “cohorted” teams and specific floors during the COVID outbreak to limit cross-contamination.

One employee returned to work at the Markham Centre after two weeks of COVID quarantine. Two negative tests confirm no evidence of the virus. Team members were pleased and relieved to see their colleague back at work and in good health.

Two more staff members are at home in isolation as a result of the Markham Centre COVID outbreak. Earlier this month an employee’s positive result during routine surveillance testing was the first sign the virus was present in the building. Yee Hong wishes both our colleagues a speedy recovery.

A positive COVID test result was returned today for a 4th floor resident of the Markham Centre. The resident transferred to the isolation unit on the ground floor of our building to eliminate the risk of transmission to others. Five residents in total are in the unit and all five are comfortable and stable. Previously, three staff members also tested positive and they are isolating themselves at home.

One Markham Centre resident on the 5th floor and another from the 4th floor tested positive for COVID-19 on September 20. Both residents have been transferred to our isolation unit on the ground floor of the building. Yee Hong staff, physicians, and the management team have been preparing for the pandemic’s second wave, and those measures are now being tested by events at the Markham Centre.

As of September 21st, four residents of the Markham Centre are receiving care in our isolation unit. This is a new clinical space that was outfitted but never used during the pandemic’s first wave. The unit is staffed with a PSW and Registered Nurse 24 hours, 7 days each week, and Yee Hong physicians provide on-site and virtual coverage. A nurse practitioner with advanced clinical training and an expanded scope of practice is assigned full-time to support the unit.

Careful surveillance for COVID symptoms on all floors helped to identify new evidence of the virus on the 5th floor, outside the containment measures established on the 4th floor. The other 49 residents of the 5th floor tested negative and have no symptoms. Markham Stouffville Hospital IPAC specialists were in the centre last week and did a full review confirming that best-practice infection control measures are already in place.

Comprehensive testing of staff and residents has been undertaken. Our teams are already organized into self-contained cohorts to prevent further spread while we wait for more Laboratory results. Vigilant staff, early intervention, and enhanced hygiene are working to contain further spread. More information will be reported here as additional test data from the week of September 14th becomes available.

Two residents of the Yee Hong Markham Centre have tested positive for COVID-19. York Region Public Health confirmed the test results from a swab collected September 10, 2020. The residents are stable and being transferred from the 4th floor to our isolation unit on the ground floor in the Markham Centre where we can safely provide care without risk of transmission to staff and other residents.

Three staff members have also tested positive for the virus. York Region Public Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak at the Centre on September 9 after the first employee tested positive, and subsequent rounds of testing revealed spread to two more employees. All three employees are isolated at home.

These positive cases trace back to test swabs collected for surveillance screening of all staff conducted every two weeks in Ontario long-term care homes. Testing on September 4 corresponds with our first reported case on September 9, and later testing to verify the extent of the outbreak revealed new cases reported today. Long-term care homes have lately been challenged with longer waits to receive laboratory results.

Vigilant staff, enhanced hygiene and immediate containment are working to limit further spread. Effective immediately, Markham Centre visiting policies have been suspended. More information will be reported here as additional test data becomes available.

Today’s result is unfortunate and comes in spite of our thorough and proactive response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This is troubling news for all our residents, their families and our dedicated staff on the floor now under quarantine. The entire Yee Hong team is pulling together to implement a comprehensive safety plan and to support the health of Markham Centre residents. We wish our three colleagues at home a speedy recovery.

A second employee of Yee Hong’s Markham Centre has tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. The employee is isolated at home. A total of two staff at the Centre are positive for the virus. The most stringent infection control measures are in place and all residents on the 4th floor were tested on September 10th. Not all results are in yet but those that have been received so far are negative. A new round of staff testing is currently under way.

York Region Public Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak at the Centre last week after the first employee tested positive for COVID-19. Vigilant staff, early intervention and enhanced hygiene are working to contain further spread. More information will be reported here as additional test data becomes available.

COVID-19 has been detected in an employee of the Markham Centre. The employee shows no symptoms, has not been in contact with residents since September 7 and is isolated at home to prevent spread to others. All the best-practice infection control measures are already in place throughout the Markham Centre.

This case was identified during comprehensive testing of all staff for the government’s preventive screening program in Ontario long-term care homes. Not all results have been received for other staff at the long-term care home, but no other positive tests have been identified at this time. All employees were swabbed on Friday, September 4 by a Yee Hong test team. More detailed information will be posted to this website once we receive the complete set of results.

Yee Hong is pleased to report an employee who became ill with COVID-19 has recovered. This case was identified at the Scarborough-McNicoll Centre on April 12. Two negative tests in August show that our colleague has beaten the virus.

The employee isolated at home during recovery and did not spread COVID-19 to colleagues or residents in our McNicoll home. We are grateful and relieved that our colleague is in good health and will return to work.

In total two Yee Hong employees became ill from COVID-19 after exposure to active outbreaks in other healthcare facilities. Yee Hong adopted a “One Employer” policy in early March to eliminate this risk from our operations.

Complete results for all employees working at all four Yee Hong Centres show no one is positive for the virus. A total of 897 staff gave samples as part of comprehensive testing mandated by the government in all Ontario long-term care homes.

On June 16, one test result for a Markham Centre employee indicated the virus but two re-tests in the following days are both negative. The employee has no symptoms, does not work directly with residents, and does not have close contacts at home or work who are positive for the virus. At this time there is no risk to residents and employees of the Markham Centre.

COVID-19 has been detected in an employee of the Markham Centre. Incomplete results are available for other staff at the long-term care home and no other positive tests have been identified at this time. The employee shows no symptoms and is isolated at home to prevent spread to others. All the best-practice infection control measures are already in place throughout the Markham Centre. The affected employee is being retested to confirm their status.

These cases were identified during comprehensive testing of all staff for the government’s preventive screening program in Ontario long-term care homes. Staff were swabbed on Friday, June 12 by a LHIN test team. More detailed information will be posted to this website once we receive the complete set of results.

Peel Region Public Health today withdrew an outbreak order from the Yee Hong Centre – Mississauga site. A resident tested positive from a sample taken May 20 and it seemed to indicate an outbreak. A comprehensive investigation of staff and residents contradicts the original result. The resident has no symptoms, two new test samples collected from the resident are negative for COVID-19, and dozens of staff and residents have since tested negative themselves. There is no evidence of COVID-19 at the Mississauga Centre.

COVID-19 has been detected in a resident of the Yee Hong Centre – Mississauga site. The resident shows no symptoms and has been isolated from others since March 15 to permit regular treatments for another condition outside the Mississauga Centre. All the best-practice infection control measures are already in place throughout the facility and there are no affected employees.

The resident has been retested. A second swab has been sent to confirm their COVID status. More detailed information will be posted to this website once we receive the complete set of results.

On Monday May 18, Toronto Public Health confirmed COVID-19 is not present at Yee Hong Scarborough-Finch. Positive tests at the facility last week suggested 1 resident and 3 staff had the virus but new tests confirm this is not the case. On May 11 a mobile team from Scarborough Health Network collected swabs from all staff and residents at the Centre as part of comprehensive testing mandated by the government in all Ontario long-term care homes.

All four positive results appear to have been in error. Subsequently the resident tested negative two times and follow-up employee tests are also negative. No symptoms and no signs of illness were detected. Toronto Public Health declared an outbreak at the facility and then lifted it three days later, acknowledging that Finch staff and residents do not carry the virus. At present, no residents of any Yee Hong Centre are positive for the virus.

Starting May 4, Yee Hong undertook comprehensive testing in all four long-term care homes in conjunction with the local health units. We are very pleased to share with families and friends that the Mississauga, Markham and Scarborough-McNicoll Centres are confirmed to have no cases of COVID-19. This examination is according to the government directive to test all residents and staff.

A total of 480 residents and 538 staff in these three homes gave a test sample over the past two weeks, and all were negative for the virus. This is encouraging news, and it indicates that proactive measures we have implemented in our homes are working.

Unfortunately the COVID-19 virus is not going away soon and it continues to circulate in the community. As Ontario relaxes its containment measures we must remain vigilant in our fight to prevent the spread of virus and keep our long-term care homes safe for everyone.

New testing reveals no evidence of a COVID-19 outbreak at the Yee Hong Centre – Scarborough-McNicoll site. Toronto Public Health confirmed a negative test for the resident who tested positive earlier in the week. Subsequent tests of 26 residents and dozens of employees are all negative for the virus. Toronto Public Health lifted an outbreak order it declared April 21. All Yee Hong long term care staff will be tested according to the government’s latest directive to the long-term care sector.

We are relieved and grateful to report none of our residents have the virus at the McNicoll site nor at any Yee Hong Centre. The entire Yee Hong team pulled together to implement a comprehensive safety plan. Recent experience shows the plan is working at our McNicoll and Markham Centres, where one employee at each site recorded positive tests in March but did not spread the virus to our residents or to co-workers. Scarborough-McNicoll Centre residents and staff are pleased to end several days of special precautions and isolation measures.

For both employees who tested positive, exposure to the virus occurred in other healthcare facilities. In March Yee Hong adopted a “One Employer” policy to eliminate this risk from our operations. Our two employees are recovering well at home and we look forward to their return.

COVID-19 has been detected in a resident of the Yee Hong Centre – Scarborough-McNicoll site. Toronto Public Health confirmed the resident’s positive test on Tuesday evening, April 21, and declared a COVID-19 outbreak. The most stringent infection control measures are already in place. The resident currently has no symptoms, and by following appropriate isolation practices, we expect to contain the infection and complete the resident’s recovery. Vigilant staff, early intervention and effective mitigation strategies are helping to prevent the spread of the virus. All other residents on the floor have been tested and no other positive cases have been identified.

York Region Public Health declared the COVID-19 outbreak is over at the Yee Hong Markham Centre on April 20, 2020. Vigilant staff, early intervention and effective mitigation strategies helped contain a single case at the Centre after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. No residents of the Markham Centre were affected by the virus.

COVID-19 was detected in one employee of the Centre on March 28, 2020. Yee Hong implemented isolation protocols and sent co-workers home to self-isolate as a precaution. Three weeks later only one person, the original employee, tested positive despite dozens of resident and staff tests. Our colleague is recovering well at home.

The entire Yee Hong team pulled together to implement a comprehensive safety plan. The Markham Centre’s experience shows the plan is working: despite a positive employee test, the virus did not spread to residents or co-workers.

This is a case where exposure to the virus occurred in other healthcare facilities. In March Yee Hong adopted a “One Employer” policy to eliminate this risk from our operations.

COVID-19 has been detected in an employee of the Yee Hong Centre – Scarborough-McNicoll site after exposure to an active outbreak in a different healthcare facility. Toronto Public Health confirmed the test result yesterday, April 12. This employee last worked an overnight shift from April 1-2, almost two weeks ago. As of today, none of our residents who might have been in contact with the employee have displayed any symptoms. The affected employee is isolated at home and we wish our colleague a speedy recovery.

This test result is unfortunate but it confirms the proactive steps Yee Hong has already taken:

• enhanced and more frequent cleaning of floor surfaces and hardware
• work at multiple sites or with multiple employers is forbidden, effective March 31
• personal protective equipment for staff and cohorting of employees and residents
• screening to include temperature checks of our employees and residents twice daily
• visitor access strictly limited and volunteer access suspended

The entire Yee Hong team has pulled together to implement a comprehensive safety plan. The recent experience of our Markham Centre shows the plan is working: a part-time employee tested positive for COVID-19 in March without infecting any residents or co-workers. In both examples, positive employee tests arose from exposure to the virus in other healthcare facilities and that risk has been eliminated from our operations.

The safety of our seniors, their families, our staff and volunteers is our top priority. For the latest information, please continue to monitor our main COVID-19 page or dial the Yee Hong telephone hotline day or night at 416-940-4815.

COVID-19 has been detected in one employee of the Yee Hong Markham Centre. York Region Public Health confirmed the test result from a swab collected March 25, 2020. In order to prevent an outbreak, and alongside York Region Public Health, we implemented isolation protocols on the 2nd floor of our Markham Centre. The affected staff person is isolated at home and has not been in contact with our residents since March 24, 2020. We wish our colleague a speedy recovery.

The test result is unfortunate and comes in spite of our thorough and proactive response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This is troubling news for our residents, their families and our dedicated staff on the floor, two of which are at home in self-isolation. The safety of our seniors, their families, our staff and volunteers is our top priority. The Yee Hong team had implemented a comprehensive pandemic plan which routinely assess and adjust. Effective immediately, new measures are in effect as we continue to protect our seniors’ health and safety at the Markham Centre:

• outbreak protocols in place for residents with any symptoms of infection
• augmented cleaning of surfaces and high touch areas in the facility
• personal protective equipment for staff and cohorting of staff on each floor
• maintaining social distance between residents on the 2nd floor, including meal service directly to residents’ rooms
• two close workplace contacts of the positive test staff person are on 14-day isolation at home

These steps are in addition to service restrictions announced March 12, 2020, for seniors living in the community, and other measures in effect since January 2020 in our long-term care homes. All Yee Hong Centres, including the Markham Centre, are operating with added protections for our seniors including cancelling outings, cancelling group activities, paid quarantine for staff suspected of COVID-19 exposure and enhanced hygiene of common areas and high touch surfaces.

We continue to adjust our policies at each site as conditions change locally, and protocols are in place to actively screen employees entering Yee Hong buildings to ensure the safety of our residents and staff. Please consult https://www.yeehong.com/covid-19/ for the latest information about building access, schedules, and safety provisions.

Hand hygiene remains the best way to stop the spread of infection. The cooperation of family members and other visitors is critical for keeping our residents safe within our long-term care homes.