As Ontario moves into Step 3 of the COVID-19 reopening plan on Friday, limits for visitors to a long-term care home (LTCH) will be lifted at most facilities.
Buffet dining, resident absences, off-site excursions and activities like singing and dancing are just some elements that will be returning July 15 to LTCHs along with fully-vaccinated visitors.
Partially-vaccinated or unvaccinated people can also visit homes but will still need to be tested for COVID-19 before entering.
Dr. Amit Arya, co-founder of Doctors For Justice in Long Term Care and Palliative Care Physician, says he’s comfortable with the change believing the move is one of a number that will improve the quality of life for elders.
“It’s very important that they get to meet their loved ones and absolutely, it can be done safely,” said Arya.
“Especially when we’re allowing in people who are fully vaccinated, two weeks after their second dose.”
Fully-vaccinated individuals will need to show proof of vaccination with receipt identifying the administering of a second dose and that they have no symptoms.
“This has been made possible by the people of Ontario rolling up their sleeves and getting vaccinated, and by the dedicated staff who have been supporting congregate care residents across the province,” long-term care Minister Rod Phillips said in a release on Thursday.
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Arya says there are still some pockets of concern at LTCHs including low staff vaccination rates and a lack of fully-vaccinated staff and residents, representing the best defence against the more transmissible Delta variant.
At the onset of the current outbreak at the Village of Tansley Woods LTCH in Burlington, 86 per cent of staffers at the home had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose but only 52 per cent were fully vaccinated prior to the arrival of a vaccination clinic on July 7.
“So clearly that’s not enough, and we have to take the steps now to ensure all the staff are fully vaccinated,” said Arya.
He goes on to say that elders fully vaccinated coming into contact with those not fully vaccinated pose a problem with the Delta variant. Arya says recent increases in U.K. hospitalizations show that many were fully vaccinated elderly admissions.
“These were people who were very ill,” Arya said.
“So we’re going to start to see people with breakthrough deaths in long term care, unfortunately, who are fully vaccinated probably in the fall unless we take measures to improve infection control and staffing.”
So far, the outbreak at Tansley Woods, which began June 28, has claimed four lives among 25 total cases tied to 19 residents, a pair of staff cases and four visitors.
Hamilton has one outbreak at an LTCH as of Thursday at St. Joseph’s Village involving nine people in total — four residents, four off-site workers and a visitor. There have been no deaths in the outbreak that began July 9.
As of Tuesday, the home said its current COVID-19 vaccination rate for residents was at 93 per cent while 72 per cent staff have had at least one shot.
A spokesperson for Tansley Woods says the home will not be easing restrictions on Friday until its outbreak status is rescinded.
Over 75% of Hamiltonians have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine
As of Wednesday, public health is reporting close to 664,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the city overall.
Over 75.5 per cent of the city’s adult population (over 18) have received at least one shot of a vaccine while 56.6 percent have had two shots.
Just under 63 per cent of people under 30 in the city have had at least one shot of a vaccine while close to 36 per cent have had a second dose.
The biggest day-over-day reported increase in vaccinations was with those aged 12 to 17 going for their second dose moving from 25 per cent to 28 per cent.
Over 62 per cent of youth 12-plus have had at least one shot of a COVID-vaccine, according to public health data.
As of 8 p.m. on Wednesday, more than 17.6 million total COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in Ontario.
There are more than 7.2 million people fully immunized with two doses in the province which is 59.5 per cent of the adult (18+) population. First dose adult coverage stands at 79.6 per cent.
Hamilton reports 9 new COVID-19 cases
Hamilton reported just nine new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, and with active cases under a hundred for the third day in a row.
Of the 83 reported active cases, 61 per cent involve people under the age of 50.
About 40 per cent of the cases are tied to people under 30 and just under 18 per cent of active cases involve people under 20.
The city’s test positivity rate is at 2.1 per cent compared to Ontario’s test positivity rate which was 0.5 per cent as of July 15.
Local hospitals have a combined 23 COVID-19 patients as of Thursday.
There are 14 at St. Joseph’s with 12 in intensive care (ICU) while Hamilton Health Sciences has 9 cases with just one person in an ICU.
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