After news of a COVID-19 outbreak at Sault long term care home Extendicare Maple View was reported earlier, three residents without symptoms remaining in isolation to prevent further transmission, Algoma Public Health (APH) is also reporting nearly total completion of COVID-19 testing at 10 long term care homes in the Sault and Algoma District.
“As of yesterday (May 6) everyone has been tested in Algoma, who works or resides in a long term care home,” said Jon Bouma, APH manager of infectious diseases, speaking to SooToday Thursday.
“We’re one of the few (health units) that can happily say we have tested everyone.”
Almost everyone, that is.
Swabbing is not mandatory, but Bouma said “for the most part we’ve had very few refusals.”
“The employer certainly has a part in this to encourage the resident and/or staff member to get tested. Residents can refuse us as well."
Bouma estimated there were "less than five" across the entire district out of 3,000 possible swabs.
“I’m surprised at the compliance, that people were willing to give their nasal passages up for the interest of science,” Bouma chuckled.
“That was well received by us, we thought that was great. Swabbing isn’t painful, but it’s uncomfortable.”
Now, APH awaits the test results.
“It takes a few days to get the results. Just because of capacity, for the labs, we left the biggest homes for last, like Maple View and the Davey Home.”
Bouma estimated Maple View has 240 residents and 300 staff members, the FJ Davey Home 400 residents and 400 on staff.
“That gives an idea of the amount of swabs that had to be done.”
APH testing at the long term care homes, Bouma said, has taken the form of a ‘point prevalence’ survey, giving health officials a snapshot of the number of people in each facility with COVID-19 on a particular date.
“We have a lot of our results back so far and they’re all negative with four of our homes outstanding. They’re all done but the lab is processing the swabs at the various sites then sending the results to us.”
“We think probably by the end of day tomorrow (Friday) we should have all of the results in, or definitely at the weekend by the latest."
Widespread testing in retirement homes (which differ from long term care homes) may come in the next few weeks if the Ministry of Health wants it, Bouma said.
Meanwhile, the province is preparing for the opening up of garden centres and nurseries Friday (in-store and curbside pick-up), hardware and safety supply stores (in-store and curbside pick-up) Saturday, retail stores with entrances facing the street beginning Monday.
In view of that, what should citizens do?
Enjoy it, but stay safe, APH is urging.
“This outbreak (at Maple View) reinforces to us, and the continued case count across Ontario, that we're not out of the woods yet in terms of the virus going away. We’re all chomping at the bit to have some normalcy return to our lives, to be able to go shopping, but a lot of the measures we have seen at grocery stores will be implemented at these other stores as well,” Bouma said.
“There will be lineups to get into the stores, a limited number of people allowed in at once, there'll be cleaning of hands and carts used in stores, there will definitely be encouragement to stay apart and do that social, physical distancing for the foreseeable future until we have a vaccine.”
