Confusion over changes to criteria for outbreak status in B.C. care homes

VANCOUVER -

How widespread is COVID-19 in B.C. care homes? The answer, it turns out, is difficult to get.

In the past, a single positive case in a resident or more than one case in a staff member triggered outbreak status. That status is publicly reported.

But sources say changes were quietly made to the criteria weeks ago. The new rules were made official Tuesday.

"We are adjusting this outbreak management approach reflecting very high levels of transmission but less severity for most people because of that high level of protection we have through vaccination and through short term protection through people who’ve been infected," said the province’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.

The changes mean care facilities might have multiple COVID-19 cases, but are not placed on outbreak status.

For example, emails sent to CTV News from a family member at a Surrey care home show a COVID-19 positive staff case and exposure in late December. In response, The Residence at Clayton Heights, was put on enhanced monitoring protocol.

But according to the emails, it wasn’t until there were 31 confirmed cases and an undisclosed number of other cases that the care home was declared to have an outbreak on Jan. 26.

Fraser Health provided CTV News with different numbers, saying the home has a total of 17 resident and three staff cases associated with the outbreak at this location.

For several weeks, CTV News has been asking Fraser Health how many care homes have COVID-19 cases but are not on outbreak status.

Fraser Health would not provide the information.

In an email, Fraser Health says, "We don’t publicly provide numbers on LTC’s (long-term care facilities) that have cases and are on enhanced monitoring, only when they are on outbreak."

The email says this is due to "privacy reasons" even though CTV News was not requesting the names of any of the facilities, only the total number.

CTV News spoke to a care home operator as well as a family member with a loved one in care who both say the lack of clarity around the issue has been confusing.

Meanwhile, Dr. Henry says the changing criteria for outbreak status is due to a changing pandemic.

"There has been an evolution…as we saw Delta (variant) fade away and Omicron providing very mild cases in both staff and residences," she said.

She says health officials are trying to balance keeping those in care safe while not locking out loved ones because of COVID-19.

"We are also acutely aware of the impact of the extended isolation which comes with the full closures of long-term care homes and we have been trying to find that balance of minimizing the risk to residents in long-term care, minimizing the transmission of the virus, as well as finding that balance of that all important contact with loved ones," said Henry.