Health
Health care professionals at 2 clinics test positive for COVID-19 in KFL&A region – Global News
KFL&A Public Health says two health care facilities in their catchment area have had health care professionals test positive for the novel coronavirus.
Lakelands Family Health Team, based in Denbigh, Ont., in Addington Highlands, has been forced to close its doors after a health care worker at their centre was diagnosed with COVID-19.
It’s currently unclear which other health care facility has had a health care professional diagnosed with COVID-19, but Dr. Kieran Moore, medical officer of health of KFL&A Public Health, says in total, of the three newest cases identified in the region on Wednesday, at least two of those were health care workers.
“What is a bit disconcerting, and I want to be upfront,” said Moore, “is that the last couple of tests have come back in health care workers who are working in primary care clinics in our area, so, two different family practices in our region.”
In a Facebook post published Tuesday, Lakelands Family Health Team said they were closing indefinitely, until KFL&A Public Health gives them the green light to open once again.
A spokesperson for the health centre assured Global News that public health officials were in the process of contacting close-contacts and telling them to quarantine for 14 days.
The health centre currently serves about 4,000 patients in the region. Moore said the decision to close the clinic was made in “and abundance of caution.” He added that this particular clinic is very well-run, and that staff were taking the appropriate precautions in light of COVID-19 concerns.
KFL&A Public Health said they would not be identifying the other clinic where health care workers contracted the disease but did say the second clinic was closed.
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“We cannot identify or confirm the clinics where the health care workers work. This would be identifiable information.”
Nevertheless, Verona Medical Clinic, in Verona, Ont., posted to Facebook Wednesday afternoon, saying that they would be closing their doors due to a “positive case of COVID-19.” Global News has not been able to reach anyone from the clinic to confirm whether the case was contracted by a health care professional.
Moore said it was expected that some health care professionals would contract the disease, and that public health was prepared for this reality.
“So we’re working diligently with them to ascertain if they had any travel history or how they could have contracted COVID-19. We’re also going to be contacting any of their patients that they may have had interactions with.”
Moore said that the health care professionals who tested positive were already practicing a lot of medical care over the phone.
“They’ve been phoning their patients or having virtual care of their patients. So they’ve had very limited direct patient contact in the last several days. They were being prudent and responsible in this new COVID-19 environment. The number of patient contacts will be exceptionally low, but we will be contacting those individuals today and working diligently with these practices.”
Lakeland Family Health Team said although their offices are closed, their team will still be trying to help their thousands of patients over the phone and online.
“Even though our building is closed and our staff are isolating at home, we are trying to provide virtual care to our patients from our homes via phone or OTN,” a statement from the health centre read.
On Wednesday, KFL&A Public Health confirmed that there were 14 positive cases of the new coronavirus in their catchment area, which includes the Addington Highlands.
Moore said despite limited tests in the region, KFL&A has been less stringent with testing restrictions when it came to health care workers.
“We have always been very permissive of testing health care workers who come down with a fever and or a cough and or increasing shortness of breath. It was prudent that at that clinic (Lakelands Family Health Team) they did test a health care worker with those symptoms, and it has turned positive.”
In a board of health meeting on Wednesday, Moore said having two medical practices close for 14 days will have a significant impact on thousands of patients.
Moore also mentioned there was a possibility of calling for an “emergency declaration” if it was found that the health officials had contracted COVID-19 through community transmission.
Other Canadian cities, including Ottawa, have already confirmed community transmission of COVID-19 — cases involving no known link to travel or previously confirmed cases.
KFL&A Public Health says they are still investigating how the two health care workers contracted the virus, and that a decision an emergency declaration has yet to be made.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are asked to self-isolate for 14 days in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s top doctor is warning people to stay up to date on whooping cough vaccinations after a small increase in cases this year.
The province usually sees three to four cases of the disease annually. Up to 10 cases have been reported already since January, however, prompting the province’s chief medical officer to raise the issue publicly.
The increase “generally means there’s a little bit more circulating in the community than what’s presenting for care and testing,” Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said Tuesday.
While officials aren’t overly concerned about a future spike in cases, Fitzgerald said, higher infection rates place infants in particular at risk.
Children under the age of one aren’t yet old enough for the whooping cough vaccine and don’t have immunity to the disease, Fitzgerald said. Infections in small children can be more severe and lead to pneumonia, neurological issues and hospitalization.
Fitzgerald said parents, grandparents and caregivers should check to ensure their vaccinations are up to date.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, causes a persistent nagging cough that’s sometimes severe enough to cause vomiting. Vaccines for the disease are offered in early childhood, during high school and in adulthood. Booster shots should be given 10 years after the high school dose, Fitzgerald said.
“Immunity can wane over time,” she said. “Pertussis does circulate on a regular basis in our community.”
The small increase in cases isn’t yet ringing alarm bells for undervaccination within the general population, she added, noting the province still has a vaccination rate over 90 per cent.
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A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) said the opioid drug crisis has reached such a critical level that a public safety response is urgently required and that includes the need for expanded supervised consumption sites.
The report was published by the medical journal Monday and was authored by Shaleesa Ledlie, David N. Juurlink, Mina Tadrous, Muhammad Mamdani, J. Michael Paterson and Tara Gomes; physicians and scientists associated with the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Research Institute and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital.
“The drug toxicity crisis continues to accelerate across Canada, with rapid increases in opioid-related harms following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the authors wrote. “We sought to describe trends in the burden of opioid-related deaths across Canada throughout the pandemic, comparing these trends by province or territory, age and sex.”
The study determined that across Canada, the burden of premature opioid-related deaths doubled between 2019 and 2021, representing more than one-quarter of deaths among younger adults. The disproportionate loss of life in this demographic group highlights the critical need for targeted prevention efforts, said the study.
The researchers found that the death rate increased significantly as fentanyl was introduced to the mix of street drugs that individuals were using, in some cases, unknowingly.
The authors said this demonstrates the need for consumption sites, not only as overwatch as people with addictions consume their drugs, but also to make an effort to identify the substances and inform those people beforehand.
“The increased detection of fentanyl in opioid-related deaths in Canada highlights the need for expansion of harm-reduction programs, including improved access to drug-checking services, supervised consumption sites, and treatment for substance use disorders,” the authors wrote.
The study said a more intense public safety response is needed.
“Given the rapidly evolving nature of the drug toxicity crisis, a public safety response is urgently required and may include continued funding of safer opioid supply programs that were expanded beginning in March 2020, improved flexibility in take-home doses of opioid agonist treatment, and enhanced training for health care workers, harm reduction workers, and people who use drugs on appropriate responses to opioid toxicities involving polysubstance use.
In conclusion, the authors wrote that during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the burden of premature death from accidental opioid toxicities in Canada dramatically increased, especially in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
“In 2021, more than 70 per cent of opioid-related deaths occurred among males and about 30 per cent occurred among people aged 30–39 years, representing one in every four deaths in this age group. The disproportionate rates of opioid-related deaths observed in these demographic groups highlight the critical need for the expansion of targeted harm reduction–based policies and programs across Canada,” said the study.
The full text of the report can be found online here.
A business plan for a new BC Cancer Centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has been approved by the province.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says the state-of-the-art cancer facility will benefit patients in Nanaimo and the surrounding region through the latest medical technology.
The facility will have 12 exam rooms, four consultation rooms and space for medical physicists and radiation therapists, medical imaging and radiation treatment of cancer patients.
The procurement process is underway, and construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be complete in 2028.
Upgrades to NRGH have also been approved, such as a new single-storey addition to the ambulatory care building and expanded pharmacy.
Dix says Nanaimo’s population is growing rapidly and aging, and stronger health services in the region, so people get the health care they need closer to home.
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