‘Heartbreaking’ COVID-19 outbreaks in B.C. care homes largely due to unvaccinated staff, visitors
Posted September 16, 2021 11:20 pm.
Last Updated September 17, 2021 1:01 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — On the first day employees at long term care homes in BC must show proof of at least one vaccine, or be subjected to rapid testing, the Ministry of Health is confirming unvaccinated staff and visitors are mostly to blame for rising COVID-19 cases in long-term care homes around the province.
The first vaccine mandate for workers in the long-term care sector kicked in Thursday. Employees who are not vaccinated will have to be rapid tested before every shift. By October 12, all employees will need to be fully vaccinated.
There are currently 23 active outbreaks at these facilities, according to Wednesday’s update from health officials.
While the health ministry says specific case details can’t be shared, a spokesperson confirms that contact tracing has shown it is people who are not immunized who introduced the virus into these homes.
“In all of the outbreaks where we’ve confirmed the source, the introduction of the virus into these facilities, which resulted in an outbreak, was from unvaccinated individual,” an email says.
“Specific details on the index case for each outbreak is not publicly shared as it could be personally identifiable information.”
The outbreaks are worst in the Interior Health Region. Fifty-five people have been infected in the David Lloyd Jones Home in Kelowna – the worst outbreak currently at any BC facility. Forty-one residents have tested positive, in the 64-bed care centre. Seven people have died since the outbreak was declared in July.
Other noteworthy outbreaks are at the Menno Home 2 in Abbotsford and the Sunset Lodge in Victoria. Twenty-two residents have tested positive and one has died at Menno, while 21 residents have been afflicted at Sunset, and six people have passed away.
The BCCDC provides weekly reports on cases and deaths in the province’s long-term care and assisted living centres. A total of 39 residents have died in the centres since July. Of the 355 total cases recorded, 237 were in residents, and 118 were in staff.
Terry Lake, CEO of the BC Care Providers Association, says the number of people getting sick and dying from COVID-19 in long-term care homes in the fourth wave is “heartbreaking.”
“With the loss of life we’ve had in long-term care in the last year and a half, the vaccines made such a big difference, but now we’re seeing more outbreaks. They’re not as bad as in the earlier waves, but still, we see people passing away from COVID even if they’re vaccinated which really worries us for sure,” he says.
It’s “really disappointing” to know staff are part of the problem, says Lake.
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“We’re hoping that those last remaining staff members that haven’t taken advantage and had the vaccine will do so now because their jobs might depend on it,” he says. “Some people may choose to leave their jobs, and we were concerned that they could just walk across the street to the hospital and get a job there, but fortunately Dr. Henry has broadened the vaccine mandate to acute care as well. So, I’m really hopeful that convinces people working in long-term care that haven’t been vaccinated that now’s the time to go ahead and start their vaccination program.”
If rapid testing had been implemented earlier, they might have avoided some of the outbreaks that occurred earlier this year, he says. He would also like to see seniors receiving a booster shot to increase their immunity to COVID-19.
Woman who lost grandmother in outbreak says families deserve better from care homes
B.C. only began releasing information about cases in the long-term care sector after the worst outbreak in BC – at Vancouver’s Little Mountain Place, which killed 41 residents of the East Vancouver care home.
Bernadette Cheung lost her grandmother at that home on Dec. 20, 2020. She says unvaccinated staff spreading the virus is “not surprising at all, and one of the most frustrating things to learn.”
“As a family member who has had a loved one die from COVID, I think it’s just the most selfish thing to do, especially for healthcare workers who are working directly with people in long-term care facilities who are already in a vulnerable situation.”
Statement from Terry Lake, CEO on the announcement of mandatory vaccination requirement for all healthcare workers in B.C. https://t.co/7aabX80E9r via @BCCareProviders @TerryLake19 @adriandix
— BC Care Providers (@BCCareProviders) September 13, 2021
She feels the vaccine mandate should have been rolled out soon especially considering the impact of the Delta variant.
Overall, she would like to see staff at long-term care homes communicate more clearly and regularly with the families of residents.
“I would urge families to ask questions and not hold back on demanding answers, because I think my family was a little bit too obedient in terms of just taking what we were given, but they have a right to know exactly what is going on and good, clear updates on what the facility is doing to clean, to get the right folks in place, and to manage the outbreak,” she says.
