Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

INTERIOR COVID-19 SPREAD

Community virus transmission in Kamloops seeps into long-term care system

Jan 18, 2021 | 4:34 PM

KAMLOOPS — While the Interior started off the pandemic with modest COVID-19 infection rates compared to other parts of B.C, the region is experiencing a swell of cases.

On Monday (Jan. 18), provincial health officials reported 1,058 active cases in the Interior Health region —which makes up 24 percent of B.C’s 4,326 total active cases.

The majority of COVID-19 infections continue to spread within households or close gatherings. However at the end of December, Interior Health noticed a shift in where new cases were popping up.

IHA Medical Health Officer Dr. Carol Fenton says the current case levels are concerning.

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“The burden of our COVID cases have shifted from the Okanagan into more of the west region — so Kamloops and communities west of Kamloops. So that is new, and it’s a big challenge.”

As community infections grow, long-term care homes are seeing the negative impacts. In Kamloops, Gemstone Care Centre has been working to contain a COVID-19 outbreak — with at least 14 residents and four staff confirmed as positive. Dr. Fenton says public health is working with the care centre to keep limit further spread.

“We’re doing all the important things — we’re cohorting the staff, making sure everything is clean, we’re making sure everyone is using their PPE correctly, and we’re doing asymptomatic testing to make sure we aren’t missing any cases,” she explains. “That is ongoing, and we will do what we need to do until we don’t need to anymore.”

Around B.C there have been many documented cases of staff-to-resident transmission. Because of this, B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie has been pushing for rapid tests to be used.

“And we have about a million of these tests in British Columbia. The federal government has purchased millions and millions of these tests and they are distributing them to the provinces.”

Rapid tests aren’t as accurate, and need to be done frequently, so the province says it’s not keen on using the method right now. However Mackenzie says it could be another screening tool to prevent asymptomatic staff from unknowingly bringing the virus to work.

“We’re not proposing this as a diagnostic test. We’re proposing it as a screening. So you still have to wear your PPE, you still have to wash your hands. Don’t assume you don’t have it.”

While it has been a grim year for long term care transmissions, Dr. Fenton notes increasing vaccination rates are bringing hope for an end to the outbreaks.

“Some good news is that we are on track to complete vaccinating all of our long term care residents by this Wednesday, and we are gearing up to get through the second phase.”