The local health unit made a public service announcement Monday afternoon clarifying some details regarding the Cassellholme COVID-19 Outbreak.
The health unit says some of the positive results require consulting with laboratory medicine and infectious disease experts, stating that it received conflicting expert opinions as to whether these tests were truly positive.
The PSA then stated that based on provincial COVID-19 Guidance, it is not appropriate to clear an individual of COVID-19 based on a re-test alone, however, the peculiar circumstances at Cassellholme over recent weeks warrant further study.
This follows the health unit’s reporting of 13 cases of the virus connected with the outbreak at Cassellholme declared Friday. The home then released a statement on Saturday saying ten of the cases identified were essential caregivers, who tested positive on Tuesday and following reassessment seven retested negative.
The health unit says it’s still investigating the outbreak at the long-term care home, but confirmed that the individual who got a preliminary positive result for a variant of concern is not a false positive.
NBPSD Health Unit says it does not have a one-size-fits-all approach to COVID-19 cases and outbreaks and that it assesses the risks involved with each positive result individually using the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Guidance and public health expertise and judgement.
Individuals who have met the Ministry of Health’s Guidance requirements are counted in the health unit’s case numbers until more information is available.