116 long-term care home outbreaks ahead of Alberta loosening single-site worker rules
Alberta is seeing a jump in long-term care home (LTHC) outbreaks as the province prepares to loosen rules brought in to stop the spread of COVID-19 between facilities.
The province had 116 facilities with at least five cases each on Friday.
In Edmonton, the number of LTCH outbreaks rose from four on Jan. 4 to 38 on Jan. 28, according to provincial data.
There were also more than 75 outbreaks in other types of supportive living facilities in the city.
At Charwell Griesbach, where there's more than 80 cases, a resident named Martha was out for a walk Friday afternoon.
"Most of us that live in here have all three shots, plus the flu shot, so I'm not worried," Martha told CTV News Edmonton.
She stays on her floor, and is able to have visitors. She's not confined to her room like some other facilities did in previous waves.
"We get our food in our rooms. I get all of my vaccinations, and I'm not sick."
At Villa Caritas, a geriatric psychiatric facility in west Edmonton, 120 people recently tested positive. About 80 per cent of patients that live there had COVID-19, and four people died.
"We offer our deepest condolences to the patients’ families and loved ones at this difficult time," said Karen Diaper with Covenant Health, the operator of Villa Caritas.
"We are grateful for the dedicated staff for their compassionate care of our patients and each other as we navigate the pandemic."
'EVEN LESS WORKERS AND THERE IS SERIOUS NEGLECT'
Next month, the province plans to relax rules for staff at long-term care homes. Workers will be permitted to go to multiple homes, something that's been restricted for almost two years.
"The good news is, so far we're seeing the hospitalization and severe outcome ratios of the cases in these settings being much lower than in previous waves," Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Thursday.
"Unfortunately, in some cases, we have seen larger outbreaks. But, we're trying to balance the emotional supports, the connection with the people that these residents care about, the COVID protections, and the care needs."
A local seniors advocate fears Alberta hasn't learned from previous waves.
"Nothing has changed," said Ruth Adria, with the Elder Advocates of Alberta Society.
While the Omicron wave doesn't appear as deadly for vaccinated people, she believes the system continues to fail elders with underfunded and overworked staff and a lack of oversight.
"Because of COVID-19 and Omicron there are even less workers, and there is serious neglect," Adria said.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Touria Izri
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.