Kelsey Medhurst was the first Kamloops residents to be given the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 22, 2020 (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

LONG-TERM CARE CASES

New COVID-19 data should increase vaccination rates in long-term care: Lake

Jan 8, 2021 | 3:27 PM

KAMLOOPS — At its peak in December, COVID-19 cases at B.C. care facilities reached 485 in a week. In the same period, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 100 deaths.

That data will now be made more widely available to the public in a weekly briefing by Dr. Bonnie Henry.

“People will know which homes have outbreaks, how many residents, how many staff members. That really does help inform operators and staff in long-term care,” said CEO of the B.C. Care Providers Association Terry Lake.

Lake says the more information about cases in long-term care may actually encourage more staff members to get the vaccine.

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“What we’re hearing from operators is if they’ve never had an outbreak, the staff are a little more reluctant about the vaccine — with 20-25 per cent of people not really wanting to take it. But if you’ve had an outbreak, then people are very enthusiastic about getting the vaccine, so I think if people know that there are outbreaks, that’s a huge argument to persuade people to get the vaccine.”

The rollout of the vaccine at B.C. care facilities has been slower, Lake admits, but by the end of next week he says most staff and essential visitors across the province, including in Kamloops, will have been vaccinated with the first dose.

“The nice thing will be to see families brought back together,” he said. “I would hope that once everyone in care has received their second shot [in February] that they’ll open up visitation to more people. Folks ahve been separated from their families for almost a year. It’s inhumane to continue doing that when you have that high level of protection.”

Lake predicts the entire sector will be vaccinated with the second dose by the middle of March.