Further indication of the conflicting results that coronavirus testing can present.
The Not For Profit has confirmed that a second resident at its Caulfield Village has had a negative COVID-19 test result after an initial positive.
As we reported here, last week another 84-year-old female resident at another cottage at the same aged care home initially tested positive to COVID-19 before testing negative twice.
Over 200 residents and staff at the home have all been tested, all with negative results.
HammondCare’s Senior Nurse and General Manager of residential care, Angela Raguz, acknowledged the “odd and unusual” circumstances in a letter to residents and families.
“The impact this has had on residents, family and friends, and staff is significant and is being taken seriously by HammondCare. Discussions continue with the Department of Health and Human Services so we can better understand why these conflicting results have occurred,” she said.
“We understand that a weak positive result is still a positive result, and this is why we enacted our Organisation Outbreak plan and followed the directions of the Public Health Unit.”
The village remains closed to visitors under the orders of the Public Health Unit.
Victoria has taken a hardline approach to managing single suspected cases of coronavirus, treating them as outbreaks despite the Department of Health’s guidelines defining outbreaks as two suspected cases within three days.
