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There are now 37 cases of the novel coronavirus at the Bradford Valley Care Community nursing home in Bradford, Ont. — 28 in residents and nine in staff members.

Of the 28 residents who are confirmed to have COVID-19, four have died, including a man and a woman in their 90s, as well as a man and a woman in their 80s.

“We have a number of other individuals who are quite ill,” Dr. Charles Gardner, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s medical officer of health, told reporters during a telephone press conference Friday.

“We are very concerned about them, and they’re being given proper care at Bradford Valley.”

According to Gardner, one of the residents who’s been infected with COVID-19 has been admitted to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ont.

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On Wednesday, Gardner told reporters that all Bradford Valley residents and staff are being tested for the novel coronavirus.

“We’ve indeed sent off tests for all of them, and we’re awaiting results,” Gardner said Friday.

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“We have results back on 139 that are negative. There are more, of course, because there are over 200 residents at the facility.”

A negative result now could turn into a positive result at a later date, Gardner added.

“As we manage this outbreak, they would all need to be closely monitored, temperature checked twice a day, along with the staff,” the Simcoe Muskoka health official said.

“If there’s any further identified cases or symptoms that could be cases, they would need to be tested, and anyone that they’ve been in contact with would need to be tested again.”

In a previous statement, Sienna Senior Living, the company that owns Bradford Valley, said staff members are wearing surgical face masks and have their temperatures taken twice per shift.

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“The team at Bradford Valley is … highly skilled in infection control practice and are working closely with public health, who have confirmed that all proper precautions and directives are in place,” the company said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a plan Wednesday to fight COVID-19 in long-term care homes, which have become the epicentre of the virus.

On Friday, the province reported 9,525 cases of the novel coronavirus, including 478 deaths.

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