OTTAWA -- A retirement home in Ottawa’s west end facing a COVID-19 outbreak is one of the first retirement homes in Ottawa to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Six residents of the Valley Stream Retirement Residence have died of COVID-19 since Jan. 2, and one-third of the home's 140 residents have tested positive.

The sixth death was confirmed on Tuesday. 

Jean Hayduk was one of those residents. She had just celebrated nearly a century of life a few weeks ago. 

“She just had her 90th birthday on Jan. 5,” her daughter, Barb Hayduk, tells CTV News Ottawa.

Suffering from dementia, Jean had lived at the Valley Stream home in Nepean. Like so may others, she was vulnerable to COVID-19. Just days after marking her birthday, she tested positive.

Her daughter was able to say goodbye. 

“I was informed that she was palliative by the eighth, so I went in every day to be with her.”

She passed away on Jan. 12, one of five people who have died at the home during this outbreak. 

According to Ottawa Public Health, there are 72 confirmed cases at Valley Stream: 47 residents and 25 staff have tested positive. The fifth death was confirmed by Ottawa Public Health on Monday.

The home had been COVID-free for much of the pandemic, having one previous outbreak in early November that involved a single case.

Revera, the company which operates the home, confirms they were facing a shortage of personal support workers for part of this current outbreak but the company tells CTV News Ottawa that staffing is now “stable.” 

They also confirm that, as of Sunday, all residents in the home have received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is now just one of two homes that are not long-term care homes to receive the vaccines. Ottawa Public Health said Monday a congregate care home for older adults was also vaccinated with first doses. 

“Both homes were experiencing exceptional health concerns and as a result, OPH prioritized the administration of vaccines to these two additional sites to protect our community, in-line with the provincial guidance to protect high risk homes following the (long-term care homes),” a memo to city council said on Monday.

Barb Hayduk said she appreciated the care her mother received at Valley Stream.

“We felt that she was getting such compassionate and good care at Valley Stream that we made the determination that she would actually be better off there. It was familiar to her and the people knew her as well,” she said. 

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