Personal care home staff COVID-19 case counts decline: WRHA

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This article was published 31/12/2020 (1725 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steps taken to get a grip on deadly outbreaks of COVID-19 at personal care homes appear to be having an impact, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says.

The number of personal care home workers suffering from COVID-19 is the lowest recorded since October, according to a WRHA biweekly report released Wednesday. Forty-three staffers had the virus, while 83 residents were listed as positive COVID-19 cases.

“We are cautiously optimistic that the trend towards a reduction in that number will hold, as more staff members are vaccinated and the overall number of COVID-19 cases in our community stabilizes,” the report says.

The good news is more than welcome — because vaccinating Manitoba’s care home residents will be a long and arduous process, Manitoba’s acting deputy chief provincial health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal said Thursday.

“The one thing I think people should take into account is it’s a lot more time-consuming to look at vaccinating one individual in a care home versus having one person come into our (RBC) Convention Centre site,” Atwal said, at the last provincial COVID-19 media briefing of the year.

The COVID-19 vaccination “super site” in downtown Winnipeg is set to open Monday, with health-care workers at the front of the line.

“The big reason there is the PPE requirements and moving through (each personal care home) one by one by one.”

The province has said personal care home residents are on the priority list to get a COVID-19 vaccine early in the new year, and that will happen, Atwal promised. “There’s a plan to look at all those facilities and get them done as quickly as possible, and that is being worked on.”

He couldn’t say Thursday how coronavirus vaccinations at personal care homes throughout Manitoba will be rolled out.

“There’s a number of variables we’re looking at, and decisions around who should be vaccinated,” Atwal said. “There’s a lot of work being done on that. Once the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed, we will be providing that information.”

Meanwhile, there are 29 outbreaks reported among Winnipeg’s 39 long-term care facilities. Of those with outbreaks, 18 had no cases reported among its residents, the WRHA said.

Larger-scale outbreaks continue at the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg, Oakview Place, Poseidon Care Centre and the River East care home.

To prevent long-term care residences from being short-staffed, the health authority has attached personal care homes to hospitals and community areas to share staff resources. Urgent staffing needs at care homes are being filled with redeployed staff from community health services and hospitals.

Nearly 1,200 shifts at city care homes have been filled that way in recent weeks, the WRHA report said.

More than 500 residents at 17 Winnipeg personal care homes have been provided hydration by the WRHA community intravenous team in recent weeks. A palliative care team, regional infection prevention and control staff, and respiratory therapy specialists are also supporting COVID-19 residents with higher-care needs, the authority said.

It has clinical leads on site at Maples, Holy Family Home, Fred Douglas Lodge, Park Manor, Oakview Place, Convalescent Home, Charleswood, West Park Manor, Poseidon, and River East. WRHA staff are working with management to provide oversight and guidance on resident and clinical care, staffing, infection prevention and control practices, and family communication.

Canadian Red Cross staff, meanwhile, are on site at Holy Family and Charleswood, providing infection prevention and control assessments and guidance.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca