More than 20 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to outbreaks at two Calgary shelters.
Two people have been confirmed to have COVID-9 at the Alpha House shelter, with another five at a transitional housing unit in the city, chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
At the Calgary Drop-In Centre, Hinshaw said 11 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, however the shelter reported 16 active cases. Hinshaw said “widespread testing is underway.”
“We are taking these outbreaks extremely seriously,” Hinshaw said.
“Health screening of all staff and shelter clients is underway and onsite testing is being conducted.”
In an emailed statement, the Calgary Drop-In Centre said it reported its first case in several weeks on Nov. 5.
Since then, the centre said it confirmed an additional 15 cases, including one in a staff member, as of 3 p.m. on Monday.
“All 15 client cases are contained to one floor, which is in outbreak status and is not accessible to anyone who has not already been assigned there,” the centre said.
“Those with positive results are in isolation as they recover.”
The centre said it was also working closely with The Alex hotel, which is the site of the shelter’s assisted self-isolation site during the pandemic.
As part of its coronavirus pandemic response, the Drop-In Centre has increased shelter cleaning, required PPE for all on-site staff, providing masks and hand sanitizer for clients, and worked to find more shelter space in the city.
As of Tuesday, the Alpha House said it had 11 confirmed cases among its clients: two in its community housing, five in its permanent-supportive housing, one in the detox program and three at the shelter.
Alpha House said there’s been an increase in cases among Calgary’s homeless population as community spread in the city also continues to grow.
“We feel well equipped to manage the cases in our housing programs as we know the best non-medical intervention for COVID-19 is to isolate at home and that is something these clients are able to do,” the shelter said.
“We will also increase our efforts to educate clients on best practices, in terms of hygiene and COVID-19 dos and don’ts.”
Alpha House said it was working closely with Alberta Health Services and other shelters in the city as it manages the outbreak, and would make changes to the shelter and detox programs to address the health and safety of staff and clients as needed.
Hinshaw said the outbreaks among the at-risk population in Calgary highlights the need for people to follow health guidelines and do what they can to bring case numbers down.
“The risk of spread to this population is a reflection of the community spread that we are seeing,” Hinshaw said.
“And another reminder that we must protect each other.”
She said AHS is working closely with a number of government and social agencies to support anyone who has been impacted by the outbreaks.
As of Monday, Alberrta had 7,965 active cases of COVID-19, with 644 new cases being reported in the last 24 hours. No new health measures were introduced Monday, despite more than a week of steeply increasing case numbers and a weekend which saw a record number of new infections.