COVID outbreaks plunge at Alberta continuing-care homes, with operators crediting vaccine booster shots

Alberta continuing care homes are seeing fewer cases and outbreaks of COVID-19, which has some operators saying the uptick in third vaccine doses may be the cause.

The third dose, otherwise known as the booster vaccine, is available to all Albertans age 75 and older as well as those in seniors' supportive living facilities.

And according toa statement by the Alberta government, 35,124 doses have been administered to residents in long-term care and supportive living facilities since Oct. 6.

Mike Conroy, president and CEO for the Brenda Strafford Foundation, which runs five care homes in the Calgary area, says over 90 per cent of their eligible residents have received the third dose.

"We are very grateful that the government in late August approved our residents to be eligible for a third dose because we were concerned about the waning impact of the vaccines on the elderly." 

He says at their facilities, the last positive case among the residents was in May.

"We haven't seen breakthrough infections in our residents. So we think now the third dose is actually taking effect and working and preventing those breakthrough infections," he said.

As of Oct.14, continuing care facilities have had 160 outbreaks, which are declared when there is a single case.

But case numbers are in decline. The 526 active staff and resident cases in continuing care facilities on Sept. 20 dropped to 333 on Oct.14, a span of only 3½ weeks.

And the number of severe cases leading to death have fallen, too.

Over at Calgary's Wing Kei long-term care centre, three residents tested positive for COVID-19 late last month after a fully vaccinated visitor unknowingly brought the virus in.

Kathy Tam, the CEO of the facility, says all three cases were triple-vaccinated and recovered without getting any symptoms from the disease.

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"It's about the vaccines. If people say they don't believe in the vaccines, I can say it's a total difference between this year and last October, what we had to deal with," she said.

According to the Alberta government, during the peak of the second wave in December and January, 1,042 deaths were reported at continuing care facilities. 

But in the past two months, from Aug. 16 to Oct. 14, only 135 deaths were reported at care homes.

Booster shots for staff

Conroy says seeing the impact of third-doses has got his group advocating for staff at continuing care homes to become eligible.

"Most of our staff have received the second dose now eight or nine months ago," he said.

"Our staff are interfacing with the residents and each other every day in the community. And so we believe that health-care workers should be the next group to be prioritized for third doses," he said.

However, the Alberta government says no decisions have been made on expanding boosters to health-care workers but officials are looking closely at emerging evidence.