Vulnerable seniors need booster shots, care providers say
How it got in, they do not know.
But COVID-19 is back inside Menno Home in Abbotsford.
This time, it has infected an entire wing of a dementia care unit. All 21 residents along with 14 staff have tested positive.
“This virus is so insidious and so invisible,” said Menno Place CEO Karen Biggs.
“The residents are 100 per cent double vaccinated. The staff who are sick are double vaccinated,” Biggs explained.
She says the outbreak now is much different than the one in November.
Biggs says the symptoms of infection are much milder this time and there have been far fewer deaths.
But still, two seniors have died.
And now she’s urging the province to offer vulnerable residents and staff a booster vaccine.
“Our residents, their second vaccine was in January so the vaccine has been a long time ago for these residents and my staff,” Biggs said.
Her sentiments are echoed by the B.C. Care Providers Association, which has also been calling for boosters.
“We saw care home outbreaks literally go down to zero and now we’ve got them all over the province,” said Terry Lake of the BCCPA.
“A third booster is needed and I would say in long-term care it is needed today,” he added.
“I don’t think we can wait any longer. We’re losing residents. Families are devastated and staff are burned out,” Lake said.
Twenty-three care facilities in the province are currently experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks.
“Some of the preliminary studies of the vaccine suggested immunity would begin to wane six to nine months after administration of a second shot of a two-shot vaccine,” Dr. Brian Conway told CTV News. Conway serves as the medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre.
The doctor also points out that the vaccine does not work in ten to twenty per cent of cases.
Conway says a third dose plan is something under consideration in B.C. for those deemed high-risk.
“We’re trying to determine if this is really necessary. Some jurisdictions, such as Israel, a decision has been made just to administer the boosters,” he said.
Meanwhile, Biggs worries about vulnerable seniors having to battle COVID-19.
“This virus is morphing and we just don’t know what it’s going to bring at us next,” Biggs said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.