More outbreaks at hospitals, care homes

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This article was published 13/01/2022 (1530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba declared nine new outbreaks at health-care facilities and care homes Wednesday, including another in Brandon.

Last Friday, Manitoba Health declared outbreaks at Fairview and Hillcrest Place personal care homes in Brandon, as well as Sandy Lake Personal Care Home in the community of the same name.

On Wednesday, the province added another local care home, Rideau Park, to the list of outbreaks.

According to the province’s online COVID-19 outbreaks data table, the cases at these homes are as follows:

• Fairview Personal Care Home in Brandon (outbreaks on fourth and fifth floors): six active cases, four staff and two residents infected.

• Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home in Brandon: five active cases, all residents.

• Sandy Lake Personal Care Home in Sandy Lake: nine active cases, all residents.

There are also seven active cases in patients at Neepawa Health Centre, two active cases in patients at the Brandon Regional Health Centre and four active cases at Brandon Correctional Centre.

A spokesperson from Prairie Mountain Health told the Sun there are two cases among residents at Rideau Park Personal Care Home as of 1 p.m. Wednesday.

They also stated that by their count, there are four cases among Hillcrest residents and 11 cases among Sandy Lake residents.

However, a newsletter issued to family members of residents at Hillcrest Place on Tuesday, a copy of which was provided to the Sun, paints a picture of a more serious situation and shows a discrepancy with the province’s reported statistics.

The newsletter states there are 14 active cases among the home’s 92 residents — five confirmed and nine presumptive positive cases.

It also lists that there have been 22 positive cases to date among staff, including eight that are currently active.

After reaching out to Extendicare, the for-profit company that runs Hillcrest Place, the Sun received a statement from spokesperson Laura Gallant:

“Currently, there are [seven] active cases among team members and 11 active cases among residents. Thirteen team member cases have been resolved. Symptoms so far are thankfully very mild and some are asymptomatic, and we continue to monitor resident conditions closely. The home is managing well and has access to additional supports available should they need them.”

All “team members” at Hillcrest Place have been fully vaccinated, according to Gallant. More than 90 per cent of their residents have received their third shot, and the facility is holding another third-dose clinic today.

“Routine surveillance swabbing of all residents and team members is underway and will continue under Public Health direction. We are working to prevent transmission and following all Public Health directives, including enhanced cleaning measures with additional staff in place to assist, and use of N95 masks for all team members, as well as meeting or exceeding requirements for staff testing and active symptom screening.”

In an email, a government spokesperson told the Sun the difference between Extendicare numbers and its own is because “Manitoba Health investigates cases, does contact tracing and has a longer verification process before they are posted online.”

» cslark@brandonsun.com

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