COVID-19 vaccines bring hope, relief to Manitoba personal care homes
'Exciting news,' but daughter of Maples care home resident wonders why site of deadly outbreak not prioritized
Brandon's Marilyn Peters, 74, is giddy to learn she'll be among the first wave of personal care home residents in Manitoba to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
She got the news this week.
"She was excited and kind of bouncing in her [wheelchair]," said her daughter, Angela Blaikie. "It just kind of lifted her up."
Peters lives at Hillcrest Place in Brandon — one of seven sites in five health regions set to receive the first round of vaccinations.
Starting next Monday, immunization teams will go to Charleswood Care Centre, Tuxedo Villa and Oakview Place in Winnipeg; Boyne Lodge in Carman; Hillcrest Place in Brandon; St. Paul's Residence in The Pas; and Tudor House in Selkirk.
The province says it will release a timeline soon for residents in other care homes to get vaccinated.
Sheryl Laurenco says it's a huge relief, after months of worrying about her mother's health.
"It's the most exciting news you could hear. The elderly are the most vulnerable," she said. "They absolutely need these vaccines in their arms and I'm just delighted to hear that there is light at the end of the tunnel."
Her 77-year-old mother, Rose Kubas, was one of the few residents who managed to avoid catching the virus at Maples Long Term Care Home in Winnipeg.
The facility was the site of Manitoba's largest and deadliest COVID-19 outbreak to date, which killed 55 people. More than 150 residents at facility have tested positive for the illness, along with 62 staff, according to the company that operates the care home. As of Wednesday, there were no active cases at the Maples, Revera said in its latest update.
Still, Laurenco wonders why her mother's home didn't make the list for the first round of vaccinations.
"For them to be not put on that first seven personal care homes that are going to be getting vaccines was a little disappointing, I'm not going to lie, considering they were the deadliest [outbreak]," she said.
Immunization teams are prioritizing facilities based on the risk of each site, including looking at the number residents and percentage of shared rooms, the province said.
All Manitoba personal care home residents — an estimated 9,834 people — will get both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by mid-March, the premier said Wednesday.
Staff must travel for shot
"Everyone is really hopeful that this is going to change things dramatically for everyone involved in personal care homes," said Michelle Porter, director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba.
To date, nearly half of the 717 COVID-19 deaths in Manitoba have been linked to personal care homes.
On top of vaccinating residents, Porter said making the shot accessible to care home staff is key.
Vaccinations for health-care workers are currently only available at the Winnipeg supersite that opened on Monday. They'll also be offered at sites opening in Brandon on Jan. 18 and Thompson on Feb. 1.
Porter says that means an impractical journey for staff in places like The Pas.
"Even when the Thompson site is open … that's still a 400-kilometre drive, likely on risky highways," she said. "How many staff are actually going to do that? So I think they need to reconsider just inoculating residents."
Porter also suggests essential caregivers should be considered for vaccination priority, given the crucial role they play in care homes.
"Not just because we want to make sure they're not bringing the virus in, but because many are at risk themselves," she said adding, many caregivers are spouses or children of residents and are also seniors.
On Thursday, Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba's acting deputy chief public health officer, said this is just the first stage and the vaccine rollout plan will continue to evolve.
"Things are changing on the vaccine front and on the transport side on an ongoing basis, almost on a weekly basis, where there might be some other opportunities down the road," he said.
Laurenco plans to tell her mother about the vaccine Thursday night when she visits her at her window.
"I know she will be delighted," she said. "I can't wait to give her that great news."
