Extendicare says 37 residents had been vaccinated as COVID-19 outbreak continues

Extendicare Alberta has confirmed details about the COVID-19 outbreak at Extendicare Bonnyville, including that 37 of the residents had received both doses of the vaccine.

There is currently 24 active cases among residents of the long-term care home and 12 active among staff members. The first case came back positive on Jan. 19.

There have now been two COVID-related deaths of residents in Extendicare within two weeks.

When asked if any residents had been vaccinated, a representative from Extendicare said they had been working closely with local health partners and were pleased to have received access to vaccination for their residents.

“At this time, all residents who consented to vaccination and were eligible, have received the full two doses of the vaccine, for a total of 37 residents. We continue to work with local health officials to complete both doses of the vaccine for all other residents in our home,” said in a statement attributed to Kim Mercier, Regional Director, Northern Alberta, at Extendicare.

There is a maximum of 50 beds for residents at the facility. However, when these shots were administered is unknown.

Lakeland Connect has reached out to Alberta Health about vaccination details and the timeline of when residents received their shots.

“Access to the vaccine for our dedicated team members is also underway. We continue to await further information from the AHS regarding next steps in the vaccination roll-out for Bonnyville’s team members, who have worked tirelessly to protect our residents from the persistent threat of COVID-19. We look forward to seeing the vaccine administered at large to protect our entire community in the near future,” Mercier said.

“We are following all provincial and local health directives, including adhering to PPE requirements and infection prevention and control practices advised by the AHS. All residents are isolating in their rooms, where they are being provided with meals, care and recreation which includes 1:1 visits and virtual family time.

“Our team along with AHS audit PPE practices regularly to make sure everyone is following best practice protocol. As we have done since the onset of the pandemic, we continue to have increased cleaning and disinfection schedules in place, including a focus on high-touch surfaces like hand-rails. We are monitoring all residents twice daily for symptoms and actively screening every staff member before each shift.”