‘Despite our best efforts, it went through everybody’
This family took all precautions since daughter’s cystic fibrosis diagnosis 20 years ago. Then came COVID-19
The Vanstone family has spent a lifetime perfecting self-isolation, but when COVID-19 infiltrated their Simcoe County home, the entire household got sick.
Since Madison Vanstone’s cystic fibrosis diagnosis 20 years ago, her family has never had a virus sweep through the entire home the way COVID-19 did. Cystic fibrosis is a chronic disease that affects the lungs and other organs. The common cold or flu could wreak havoc on her body.
“We’ve lived with this scenario and this worry forever. However, (this) one just seemed to be so contagious that despite our best efforts, it went through everybody,” said Beth Vanstone, 59, who fell ill along with her husband and two daughters.
With the Omicron variant driving up case counts across Canada, public health messaging is clear — everyone will be exposed to the virus even if they don’t contract it. On Friday, there were 3,525 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Ontario, and 607 in intensive care. The province also reported 67 more deaths due to the virus.
With the highly transmissible nature of the Omicron variant, and fears of rising infections following the recent reopening of schools, many people are left wondering if it is still possible to effectively selfisolate in a multi-person household.
Experts say that while not preferable, it is possible to quarantine in a home shared with others if the right measures are taken.
Dr. Andrew Boozary, executive director of social medicine at the University Health Network in Toronto, said access to spacious homes is not a reality for most living in a city in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. The likelihood of staying safe at home while someone is isolating hinges on access to a well-ventilated area, separate bedrooms, highquality masks and rapid tests. He said these items are often costly and hard to come by, making them a luxury for many.
The Vanstones, who live in the small community of Beeton, have long known the importance of inhome quarantine measures.
Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, the family was accustomed to weighing the safety risks of going into any public space. Nobody visited with a minor cold, they never went to other people’s homes if someone felt under the weather, and each outing was met with meticulous handwashing.
On Dec. 9, they let their guard down. Beth and daughters Madison, 20, and Jessica, 23, attended a Toronto sporting event. Two days later, Beth woke up with a searing headache.
“We were having an immediate family Christmas gathering,” said Beth. “I thought, ‘Oh, I’m just stressed because everyone’s coming.’ However, by Sunday, I was feeling pretty sick.”
Beth tested negative on a COVID rapid test, but still quarantined the way she always had and booked a more accurate PCR test. Husband, Glenn, 62, moved into an extra bedroom — so they were now all in separate bedrooms — and the family’s main means of communication turned to text messages. Beth wore a mask at all times, stayed in her bedroom and washed her hands diligently.
Two days later, Madison found out a friend she had recently seen had tested positive for the virus. This time, both Madison and Beth tested positive on their rapid tests.
While Madison remained asymptomatic, which the family credits to their being fully vaccinated, Beth was unable to get out of bed for days. Her head pounded, she spiked a fever and shook with chills.
“I was in bed for eight days with an excruciating headache. I have asthma, my breathing was bad. My oxygen levels dropped down. Not dangerously so, but certainly it was difficult to breathe,” said Beth.
During that month of family quarantine, the rest of the household became symptomatic. Jessica tested positive. Glenn was unable to procure a test.
“Jessica came upstairs (where Beth was quarantining) and told me while crying,” said Beth.
Boozary said it has always been a tale of two parallel pandemics — the virus itself and the exposed social health inequities brought forward by COVID-19. Those who have space to self-isolate, have access to high-quality masks and rapid tests have had a very different reality from those who do not have those luxuries.
“That was a privilege for some and not a reality for too many,” said Boozary.
In September of 2020, the city of Toronto opened a voluntary selfisolation centre to specifically aid in reducing in-home transmissions.
As of Jan. 17, 1,396 people have stayed in the centre, with 32 currently staying there, according to Toronto Public Health. The centre has access to140 rooms.
Demand has increased with each wave of the pandemic. According to Toronto Public Health, December was the busiest month to date.
“We have been pleased with the number of individuals who have accessed the isolation centre. We do not necessarily consider the number of users as the only marker of success … Overall, we look at uptake, client satisfaction feedback, length of stay at the isolation centre, and the successes of all partners working together on-site,” Toronto Public Health said in a statement.
But the public health agency and experts agree that an isolation centre may not be the right choice for everyone.
“It’s hard for people to think about heading over there if there’s not the ability to be cared for by people’s own networks of support through their families,” said Boozary. “It is isolating.”
Nitin Mohan, a Toronto-based physician epidemiologist, said someone who has tested positive should isolate in a bedroom, wear a mask — preferably an N95 — in communal areas, and open windows to increase ventilation.
For those who do not have a bedroom of their own, he suggests masks be worn at all times and that occupants divide up living spaces in a way that creates the greatest physical distance between them.
Boozary said not having a safe place to isolate is a reflection of the dire housing situation and other systemic inequities.
“It’s discriminating against people really living in poverty without the access to these protective measures. It continues to push the burden of Omicron in more structurally vulnerable neighbourhoods and households,” he said.
The guilt was overwhelming. I felt terrible that I went out and brought this into my home.
BETH VANSTONE
Beth said the guilt was the hardest part of her family’s COVID-19 diagnosis. “The guilt was overwhelming. I felt terrible that I went out and brought this into my home,” she said.
Beth said the family got “lucky” that they contracted COVID over the holiday season when their daughters were off school and Glenn, who works in construction, was off work.
“Jessica is in school to be a teacher. I didn’t want to accidentally expose the children (at the school she is working at),” she said.