A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared in a Port Alberni long-term care home, the Island’s first in a residential care facility.
The news comes as the City of Victoria confirmed its first COVID case involving an employee, and the Island’s chief medical health officer floated the idea of creating an Island “bubble” similar to one created in the Maritime provinces this summer, where any incoming non-essential travellers would have to quarantine for two weeks.
Island Health declared the outbreak at Tsawaayuss Rainbow Gardens in Port Alberni after one staff member tested positive for the virus.
Dr. Charmaine Enns, the medical health officer for the north Island, said even a single COVID case can be classified as an outbreak because it occurred in a long-term care facility, a place where people are more vulnerable or at risk of getting very sick.
“Even though it’s the word outbreak — I know that’s a very concerning word — but we’re talking about a single case that is a staff member. That’s enough to have us declare an outbreak and institute all of the other precautions and safety measures that are enhanced because of that case,” she said during a news conference via Zoom on Tuesday.
Enns said the health authority has put in so many practices and safety measures to protect vulnerable seniors in residential care facilities that “our expectation is zero COVID in all of our long-term care facilities.”
Of the 44 residents in the complex-care facility, three were identified as having close contact with the staff member, Enns said.
None of the residents are experiencing symptoms and no other staff members have gotten sick, said Enns, who called it a “low-risk exposure.” The residents’ family members have been notified of the outbreak.
The staff member is self-isolating at home. Enns said the staff member did everything right and stayed home, self-isolated and got a COVID test as soon as symptoms developed.
The staff member did not have symptoms on the two days they were working, Enns said.
On Tuesday, the Health Ministry announced a record-breaking 717 new cases of COVID-19 across the province and 11 more deaths. The previous highest daily new case number was 659 on Sunday.
There were 16 new cases in the Island Health region.
In an interview with Vancouver radio station CKNW on Tuesday, the Island’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Richard Stanwick, raised the idea of a regional quarantine for Vancouver Island, which would require any non-essential travellers to the Island to quarantine for 14 days. The tactic has been successful in the Maritime provinces, which have established an “Atlantic bubble” requiring anyone from outside the region to quarantine for two weeks.
Stanwick said there has been a significant jump in COVID cases on the Island, and travel between the Lower Mainland and the Island is partially to blame.
On Monday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said people should avoid non-essential travel across the province.
Rainbow Gardens, a not-for-profit facility operated by WestCoast Native Health Care Society that houses many First Nations elders, is now closed to visitors and no new patients can be admitted or transferred in or out, Enns said.
“I really appreciate the importance and the need for those visits and relationships, however those things are going to be on hold for the next week or two,” Enns said.
The health authority said it has worked with the care home’s leadership and staff to identify anyone who might have been exposed, and screening of all staff and residents will take place twice a day.
Other measures in place include maintaining staffing levels to care for the residents, restricting staff and resident movement in the facility, and enhanced cleaning and infection-control.
Island Health said it will deploy additional staff to the care home to provide assistance and support, and answer questions from staff, residents and family members.
Enns said there is no link between the long-term care outbreak and last week’s COVID-19 outbreak at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where five staff members tested positive. Enns said long-term care staff do not work at multiple sites to avoid spreading the virus.
In the Nanaimo hospital outbreak, the transitional care unit, which looks after patients with complex medical needs who no longer require acute care, was closed to admissions and visitors, and received enhanced cleaning. All 35 patients on the unit were tested for COVID-19.
The city of Victoria said anyone in close contact with the employee who tested positive has been contacted and is self-isolating.
