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UPDATE: 9 residents of Bobcaygeon nursing home have now died of COVID-19 UPDATE: 9 residents of Bobcaygeon nursing home have now died of COVID-19 This Week The deaths of nine Pinecrest Nursing Home residents has not only unmasked the impact of an under-funded health care system, but is demonstrating the frightening potential of COVID-19, a Bobcaygeon doctor says. Dozens of other residents at the Bobcaygeon long-term care facility are ill and more than half of its staff have presented with coronavirus symptoms. The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District health unit reported last week that 17 of the 34 workers had tested positive. Others tested negative, including Dr. Steve Oldridge. The health unit confirmed Monday (March 30) there have been seven COVID-19- related deaths at Pinecrest since an outbreak was declared at the facility on March 18. There are also currently 24 staff members who have confirmed positive for COVID-19; test results are pending for 10 staff. In total, the health unit reports 33 confirmed cases with two sporadic cases, one of which is related to Pinecrest. "Pinecrest should be a wake up call to everyone as to just how deadly this virus can be," said Dr. Oldridge who works with medical director, Dr. Michelle Snarr, to provide care to residents at the home. "The province is in a state of emergency for a reason. Nine of the 66 residents have died. . . We need to lock the doors. We can't let it get out." Oldridge told This Week the past few days have taken "more of an emotional toll than the physical" as he worries, not just about his own health, but that of his staff, his patients and the staff who work at nursing homes like Pinecrest. "The staff were run off their feet long before this virus even hit . . . . PSWs in particular are already overworked and underpaid," said Oldridge. "I know Dr. Snarr has gone above and beyond lobbying all corners for support and is quite frustrated as well. The staff are the real heroes in all this. They are facing a huge risk, even with the use of PPE, to look after these residents. . . . They're the real front-line for those patients." Oldridge also doesn't fault health units. "They were already working on a skeleton staff before this hit. This [virus] is proving why we need to support public health; why we need get more feet on the ground. COVID is unmasking just how underfunded the whole system is," he said. Kawartha Lakes Ward 2 councillor Kathleen Seymour-Fagan doesn't believe the severity of the outbreak at Pinecrest was properly communicated to the community, city and province. She said each has been working to provide extra resources to the long-term care facility, but without a clear picture it was hard to act. UPDATE: 9 residents of Bobcaygeon nursing home have now died of C... https://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/9919280-update-9-residents-o... 1 of 2 4/24/2020, 9:44 AM