COVID-19: Rapid testing care homes staff touted by BC seniors advocate

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As COVID-19 circumstances proceed to surge amid a second wave of the pandemic, B.C.’s seniors watchdog is suggesting speedy testing of all employees at long-term care properties.

Isobel Mackenzie says speedy exams — which yield leads to 15 to half-hour — might be an added layer to assist catch contaminated employees who’re pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic and unknowingly bringing the virus into long-term care services.

“The query is: What’s the hurt in utilizing them?” Mackenzie stated.

About 3.8 million speedy COVID-19 exams, which may be processed the place the affected person is examined, fairly than in a lab, arrived in Canada final week and are actually within the fingers of provincial well being authorities, a lot of that are nonetheless evaluating use them.

Among the many challenges, stated B.C. Provincial Well being Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, is that the speedy exams usually are not as delicate.

Nonetheless, they will play an necessary function if a cluster of individuals have an sickness and a speedy analysis is required, she stated. “If a number of persons are examined and so they’re all detrimental, that’s reassuring; if one in every of them is optimistic, that tells you that that is most likely an outbreak that you just’re coping with.”

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The province is trying on the protocols for the speedy exams, utilizing them now in some distant communities and in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. “The lab staff continues to be working [on] about the place and the way we are able to finest use them,” Henry stated.

Based on knowledge from the B.C. Centre for Illness Management, there had been 162 outbreaks and 1,570 COVID-19 circumstances in long-term care services as of Friday. Of the 331 deaths linked to the virus throughout B.C., 205 have been residents of care services.

Outbreaks have been declared this week in two Island care properties: Discovery Harbour, operated by Park Place Seniors Residing, in Campbell River and Tsawaayuus Rainbow Gardens in Port Alberni. One employees member has examined optimistic in Discovery Harbour. At Tsawaayuus Rainbow Gardens, a residents examined optimistic a number of days after a employees member did.

Island Well being stated the outbreaks in these properties remained contained on Saturday.

Concern about employees transmitting the virus between services led the province to restrict employees to working at only one website. Different measures have included elevated cleansing and a restriction on exterior guests, together with screening, masks, and temperature checks for workers.

Mackenzie stated she thinks speedy exams might present one other layer of safety.

“My concern in the intervening time is whereas now we have made great efforts and great investments to make issues protected in long-term care, I feel now we have not likely absolutely realized the potential of testing in our care properties as an efficient strategy to catching probably pre-symptomatic, asymptomatic both residents or extra significantly employees,” she stated. “And I feel we might be doing extra.”

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The seniors advocate acknowledges the speedy exams are much less delicate than lab exams. However utilizing them together with gold-standard lab exams, which give leads to 24 hours, might assist forestall outbreaks in seniors properties, she stated.

“We’re going to catch a few of these folks, perhaps not all of them, however a few of them,” Mackenzie stated, noting folks within the film business and NHL groups are being examined frequently. “We now have nothing proper now.”

Earlier this month, the seniors advocate launched the outcomes of a survey on the impacts of customer restrictions in B.C. care properties. The survey, taken by greater than 13,000 care residence residents and members of the family, confirmed residents had a larger worry of dying from loneliness than COVID-19 due to pandemic guidelines that restrict visits. One partner known as them “inhumane.”

Residents are at present allowed one designated customer, and Henry and Well being Minister Adrian Dix stated they have been working towards “increasing” that — one thing Mackenzie want to see in time for Christmas.

Because the variety of new circumstances grows and extra restrictions are put in place, there’s a want for outdoor caregivers, she stated.

“A few of these members of the family are completely important care companions to their liked one and we’d like them as a part of the care staff now greater than ever,” she stated.

“The system is stretched, we’re simply originally of after we’re going to begin to see employees staying residence extra … because of isolating necessities.”

ceharnett@timescolonist.com

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