Major COVID outbreak at Edmonton care home claims 55 residents
EDMONTON The deadliest COVID-19 outbreak on record in an Alberta long-term care centre is at Capitalcare Lynnwood where 55 residents had died as of Friday.
“They're not clients. They're not patients, they're your family. A lot of times the staff are the only people that some of these patients see and they see them on an everyday basis,” said Susan Slade, president of Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, on Friday. “It is like a loved one passing away. So, the thought that 55 people have passed away. It is devastating.”
Capitalcare's Lynnwood facility in Edmonton has been connected to a total of 262 cases, 159 among residents and 103 among staff, said Capitalcare spokeswoman Bernadette Desantis. She said four cases remain active, including one among agency staff, while 205 have recovered.
Alberta Health spokesman Tom Mcmillan said the 55 deaths are the highest reported to the province at a single long-term care facility since March.
Desantis said the Lynnwood facility is the largest continuing care centre in Edmonton with 276 residents in two buildings. She said the outbreak has been contained to one building, the Parker Pavilion.
Bonnie Roberts, the site director for Capitalcare Lynnwood, offered her condolences to everyone affected and noted the facility has nearly completed issuing the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to their residents.
“The loss of each person is deeply felt by those who loved them, including our staff ...,” said Roberts.
Earlier in the day Slade and the AUPE sounded the alarm over an outbreak at the Good Samaritan Society Southgate Care Centre. Its website shows there are nine active cases among residents and 20 among staff.
There have been a total of 60 recoveries and 14 deaths linked to the latest outbreak.
Alberta Health numbers show there are 108 cases linked to the facility, including 11 that are active, and 11 deaths. Provincial numbers often vary from operator totals since there are delays in reporting.
Slade said restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 are being ignored and management at the facility are continuing to have residents who have tested positive moved around the site. She said workers are also continuing to work between areas of the building with COVID -19 and areas that do not have the virus.
She also said there have been outbreaks at the facility in the past and AUPE has been in constant talks with the employer.
“The main concern right now is that staff are being moved all over the building when they're not supposed to be if you are working with COVID patients, you are to stay working with COVID patients so as to contain the virus into one area,” said Slade.
Katherine Chubbs, president and CEO of Good Samaritan, said residents who test positive or show symptoms of COVID -19 are immediately isolated in their rooms and placed under contact and droplet precautions. She said a resident may be moved within the facility if there is an “identified clinical need to” or to mitigate further risk.
She said all AHS protocols are followed at the site.