COVID-19 outbreaks reported in care homes, hospitals

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This article was published 26/09/2023 (755 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New outbreaks of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses in Winnipeg personal-care homes and hospitals are prompting renewed calls for Manitobans to get vaccinated as the cold-weather illness season builds.

Sue Vovchuk, executive director of the 150-member Long Term & Continuing Care Association of Manitoba, said care homes are busy preparing and ordering vaccines to help protect residents, staff and visitors from viruses.

“The fall is always a tough time anyway. Now, COVID is part of that,” Vovchuk said Tuesday.

Novel coronavirus outbreaks had been reported in at least one unit at nine of the Winnipeg health region’s 37 long-term care homes as of Tuesday, according to an online dashboard.

“We know we’re in the season, so it’s not unexpected,” said Vovchuk.

Concordia, Misericordia, St. Boniface, Seven Oaks and Victoria hospitals have had outbreaks in some of their units. Health Sciences Centre has had no outbreaks, a Shared Health spokesman said.

Hospitals are expecting an increase in admissions during respiratory-virus season.

In all, 21 care home or hospital units had COVID-19 outbreaks, up one from Monday, according to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s website. Four units had respiratory outbreaks, down one from the previous day.

Outbreaks can be declared to mobilize resources and implement additional safety measures when just one person has symptoms, said epidemiologist Cynthia Carr.

“You want to identify it early to shut it down,” she said.

Hospitalization and death data are more reliable indicators of community transmission trends than reported outbreaks in care settings, said Carr.

At the 299-bed Actionmarguerite St. Boniface care home on Despins Street, one unit was dealing with COVID-19 and respiratory outbreaks, the WRHA reported. A second unit had a coronvirus outbreak and a third had a respiratory-virus outbreak.

A sign on the front door said general visits to affected units were suspended. Essential visitors were allowed to enter at their own risk.

A visitor named Gord, who declined to give his last name, said he was required to put on protective gear, including a mask and eyewear, while visiting his wife on a unit that had a respiratory outbreak.

“That could be the common cold. It’s always a concern, especially for my wife,” he said of outbreaks. “In the fall, there tends to be that spike, whether it’s a cold or flu.”

He said he’s satisfied with the preventative measures taken by the care home.

“They’re doing their best as quickly as they can,” he said, adding that he wears a mask in public to avoid contracting and passing a virus to his wife. He encouraged Manitobans to follow basic precautions.

“It’s important to do all we can to minimize the risk, especially to folks who are at greater risk,” he said.

Actionmarguerite did not respond to a request for comment. The organization’s website said measures to prevent transmission are implemented as soon as a suspected outbreak is identified.

People who are feeling ill should not visit care homes, Vovchuk stressed. “Just be vigilant and just be responsible. It’s important not to become complacent,” she said. “We have very vulnerable individuals.”

The Shared Health spokesman said health-care facilities in Manitoba are employing a number of preventative measures to limit the spread of viruses, including the use of protective gear and segregating symptomatic people where possible.

Additional protocols are in place at locations with people who are more at risk, and extra precautions are taken around patients who have COVID-19, he said.

Protocols allow for COVID-positive patients or suspected carriers to be placed in areas with non-COVID patients. In those situations, appropriate precautions, such as distancing, are required, the Shared Health spokesman said.

“This allows for increased acute-care capacity at sites and is supported by advice from infection prevention and control experts,” he wrote in an email.

Carr echoed the province’s call for people to keep their COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations up to date and take precautions, such as hand-washing, staying home when sick and choosing to wear a face mask.

“Even a cold can create a serious situation for someone who might be more compromised or older,” she said.

The province has said updated vaccines designed to provide better protection against XBB.1.5, an offshoot of the Omicron variant, will likely be available by early to mid-October.

In its latest surveillance report, the Manitoba government reported “similar activity” of COVID-19 in the week up to Sept. 16, compared with the previous seven days. Seasonal influenza activity was low.

The province plans to resume its outbreak reporting in mid-October, following a review.

“This change is needed because Manitoba has multiple processes by which outbreaks are reported,” a spokesman wrote in an email. “This review will streamline reporting (and) improve timeliness as well as completeness.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching