Nearly one-third of all residents at a nursing home in the city’s west end have now tested positive for COVID-19, representing the single biggest outbreak in any Toronto long-term care facility in months.

The Ministry of Health says that 34 residents and eight staff members at the 108-bed Fairview Nursing Home near Dundas Street and Dufferin Street have now tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

There has also been at least one fatality at the home so far this week, though the ministry doesn’t disclose precise numbers unless there are more than five deaths due to privacy concerns.

In a statement provided to CP24 on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the home’s operator Schlegel Villages said that they have been in “in full outbreak protocol” since two staff members tested positive back on Sept. 15 and are “following every infection prevention and control protocol to the letter.”

As part of those efforts, the spokesperson said that “frequent deep cleaning” is taking place and various “resident and team member cohorting and quarantine measures” have been implemented.

“Team members have been committed to COVID-19 testing twice a month for the past several months, and all team members and residents are being tested again today,” the spokesperson said. “We are unable to share details of specific resident health situations, but the Fairview team is working closely with University Health Network, Toronto Public Health and they have the full backing of the entire Schlegel Villages organization to support the well-being of every resident.”

Outbreak has worsened in recent days

There were only six confirmed cases among residents at Fairview Nursing Home as recently as Monday but the numbers have steadily increased as the week has gone on.

The home now has the unfortunate distinction of having one of the largest active outbreaks of COVID-19 among Ontario long-term care homes.

The only other facility, in fact, that has seen more cases is Extendixcare West Villa in Ottawa, where 16 residents have died and 23 others have tested positive. There are also 38 confirmed cases among staff at the facility.

Across the province there are now 46 long-term care homes with active COVID-19 outbreaks, up from 18 as recently as Sept. 1.

Earlier in the pandemic's first wave, more than 1,800 long-term care residents died after contracting COVID-19.