Image Credit: Mel Rothenburger

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Let’s not point fingers at those on the COVID front lines

Jan 30, 2021 | 8:52 AM

LET’S TAKE INVENTORY on COVID-19 in Kamloops. The picture isn’t pretty.

The big topic of pandemic conversation right now is Royal Inland Hospital, where at least 70 cases have been identified, 46 of them staff. One person has died.

There’s too much talk about blaming staff for supposedly not following protocols and allowing the virus to spread inside 6 South. That’s pure speculation based on nothing; Interior Health and the hospital will do a thorough investigation into causes, though there’s no guarantee it will be released to the public.

Questions must be answered on how the virus got away, whether there was a lapse in protocols, or perhaps a shortage of PPE at some point, whether someone came to work when he or she shouldn’t have.

But remember those “Healthcare heroes” signs that were erected at the entrance to RIH almost a year ago, and the drive-by thank-you parades?

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Those medical and support staff need reassurance now more than ever as they put themselves at risk every day trying to keep the virus at bay. Those of us who aren’t on that frontline can’t possibly imagine the stress they’re feeling right now.

The same goes for all the others who struggle to protect long-term care residents, to teach our kids at school, who continue to go to work at grocery stores and other essential services.

Speaking of schools, the number of them experiencing COVID-19 exposures and outbreaks continues to rise. It seems almost as though School District 73 is having to send out notices to parents every other day.

One of the latest schools hit is Beattie elementary, which experienced an exposure late last week. Others include Summit elementary, Sa-Hali secondary, Valleyview secondary, South Kamloops secondary, NorKam secondary, Juniper Ridge elementary, Arthur Hatton elementary, Aberdeen elementary and Marion Schilling elementary. Almost all the school exposures have occurred within the last month.

We don’t receive breakdowns of how many students versus teachers have tested positive. But each time one of them does, contact tracing begins and those who might have been exposed are told to self-isolate and monitor symptoms for 14 days.

Long-term care homes continue to be centres of infection and Kamloops hasn’t totally escaped. Seventeen residents and seven staff members at the Gemstone Care Centre in Brocklehurst were infected. Two died.

The operators of the facility have denied that an infected staff member brought in the virus knowing he or she was carrying it. A spokesperson put it down to “an accidental break of safety protocols.”

Kamloops Seniors Village had a staff member test positive early in the month, and the Hamlets in Westsyde had a staff member test positive last November.

COVID-19 has shown up in at least one Kamloops super market, on airline flights and even at New Afton mine. It’s everywhere, and it’s getting harder to avoid. It would be surprising if there weren’t occasional “breakdowns in protocols.”

Healthcare workers are as careful as they can be to control the spread, wearing protective gear and ensuring strict sanitization is followed.

Interior Health medical health officer Dr. Carol Fenton says, “For the last number of months, staff have been expected to screen themselves for symptoms, stay home when sick, record their temperature when they come to work, and wear appropriate protective equipment.”

Our frontline workers could use more help than they and their patients are getting. B.C. refuses to opt into the federal contact tracing tool, claiming it’s imperfect.

Despite the urging of B.C.’s seniors’ advocate and the long-term care association, B.C. also refuses to use its stockpile of rapid testing for long-term care homes.

Teachers have been urging mandatory universal masking in schools to no avail.

This is going on as the post-Christmas spike slams resources and our system’s ability to keep on top of the virus and assure those who are sickened with it have the care they need.

Staff burnout becomes more prevalent and the more staff who catch COVID the more pressure that’s put on those who still make it into work.

So, sure, those who work in healthcare and essential services have responsibilities to take every precaution they can to ensure the safety of the public and especially those who are attacked by the virus.

But let’s acknowledge that nothing is perfect and that there will be lapses. Let’s not automatically assume staff are at fault when something goes wrong.

Most importantly, let’s not forget they’re the ones who valiantly head for the front lines each and every day, and who will get us through this.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.