5th person dead at Tansley Woods long-term care home, Halton's only COVID-19 outbreak

A fifth resident has died in a COVID-19 outbreak at the Village of Tansley Woods, a long-term care home in Burlington, Ont.

"Our community is feeling the weight of loss as we acknowledge the passing of a resident from the Village of Tansley Woods over the weekend," home operator Schlegel Villages said in an online update Monday.

"The resident who passed had previously tested positive for COVID-19."

The home said there are five active cases among residents and none among staff.

"Testing is underway again for team members and residents in the two affected neighbourhoods and we will update any changes on Wednesday."

According to Halton Region Public Health, the outbreak has infected 25 residents, two staff members and four "non-Halton cases" for a total of 31 people. It is the only active outbreak in Halton Region.

Early in the outbreak, which began June 28, the operator said 86 per cent of workers at the home had been vaccinated with one dose and 52 per cent were fully vaccinated. As of July 13, Schlegel Villages said 98.5 per cent of residents had one dose and 97 per cent were fully vaccinated.

Now, 96.5 per cent of workers have had their first dose and 90.8 per cent have had a second dose, according to the operator. The vaccination rate for residents is unchanged.

Majority affected had 'minor symptoms'

The home on Upper Middle Road has 133 residents at the moment, said spokesperson Kristian Partington.

On July 16, the home said the delta variant of COVID-19 had been identified in the outbreak, and that, of those infected at that time, two residents and one staff member were unvaccinated.

"In all other cases, residents and team members were fully immunized," Schlegel said on its website.

"We can say those who did experience serious symptoms did have serious underlying health conditions prior to the outbreak. The majority of those affected have experienced nothing more than minor symptoms."