COVID-19 Update Feb 2, 2021: Updated Vaccine Eligibility

February 2, 2021

Hello everyone,

I am happy to report that the outbreak at Seasons St. Thomas was rescinded.  I will now update you on the two outbreaks we are currently dealing with.  For our staff, residents and families at Seasons Camrose and Seasons Welland, please refer to your site-specific updates and communication for current outbreak protocols and restrictions in place at your homes.

Seasons Camrose in Alberta.  Sadly, we two residents pass away from COVID-19.  We have expressed our sincere condolences to this resident’s family and friends, as well as to the Seasons Camrose team members who cared for this person.  In Independent Living, we had two resident cases resolve, bringing our active total to 1.  We have 10 active cases among our Designated Supportive Living residents.  We have 2 active staff cases.  Another round of prevalence testing will take place on February 4^th.  We will update the Seasons Camrose community directly, once those results are confirmed by laboratory testing.

Seasons Welland in Ontario.  The outbreak was rescinded by Niagara Region Public Health on January 30^th and reinstated on Monday, February 1^st due to a single asymptomatic resident case.  According to Public Health it is possible that this asymptomatic resident was exposed during our past outbreak and that this is ‘old’ virus that went undetected in previous testing.  The virus can show up in testing for months after a person is affected.   We are testing all Seasons Welland staff, all residents who were in close contact with this case, and re-testing all residents who were exposed by a positive homecare worker during the earlier outbreak.  We are working closely with public health and will update the Seasons Welland community directly, as more information becomes available.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Despite the delays to the vaccine program due to shortages coming into Canada, there is some positive movement towards total vaccination numbers.  Among the Seasons homes that have been able to participate fully, we have seen a resident vaccination rate of 94.6%.  This is great news, and gives us hope about reintroducing a typical Seasons calendar of activities and social interactions in the near future.

Other Seasons communities continue to wait to be contacted by their Local Public Health Units (LPHU) and/or Alberta Health Services (AHS) to delay either first round or second round vaccination clinics.  As you know, we are at their mercy when it comes to timing and availability.

Alberta Vaccination Eligibility & Clinic Dates:

AHS has been focusing on vaccinations for Designated Supportive Living residents first.  This has left many independent living residents and their families understandably upset about being overlooked.  Seasons has advocated for the prioritization of vaccines for all residents in congregate settings such as our retirement communities.  For more information on Alberta Health’s phased approach to vaccination, please visit their website.

As we noted last week, should you wish to express your concern, we encourage you to write to your local MPP or go directly to Premier Kenney’s office or to Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

Ontario Vaccination Eligibility & Clinic Dates:

As we roll out the vaccines to more Seasons communities, we must remain vigilant.  The immunity provided by the vaccine is not fully effective until after the second dose is administered.  In the meantime, in the interest of everyone’s safety, we continue to ask all residents to adhere to the following protocols:

• Self-isolate for 14 days if you did not follow provincial requests to remain on-site, instead choosing to visit with friends and/or family at another household, especially where infection prevention and control protocols were not followed
• Wear a mask continuously when you are not in your suite
• Practice good hand hygiene and physical distancing
• If you feel unwell, report it immediately to a Seasons Team Member

We continue to ask all Designated Visitors to:

• Review our infection prevention and control training tools as required monthly
• Not visit a Seasons Community for 14 days if you visited with family and/or friends from another household within the last week
• Wear a mask continuously while visiting a Seasons resident (this means not eating or drinking while you are visiting)
• Practice good hand hygiene and physical distancing
• If, after your visit, you become symptomatic or are notified that you had close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual, please contact Seasons immediately

We continue to ask all team members to:

• Practice all infection prevention and control (IPAC) protocols
• Refrain from visiting with friends and/or family that are not in your household
• Practice physical distancing from fellow team members during breaks

Thank you all for your continued cooperation and vigilance.  Whether you work, live or support a loved one at Seasons, please rest assured that our greatest priority remains the collective health and safety of our retirement communities.

Sincerely,

LeighAnne Voll
Chief Operating Officer,
Seasons Retirement Communities

For additional online resources for COVID-19 you can visit the following sites:

Canada Health
Alberta Health
Alberta Health Services
Public Health Ontario
Retirement Home Regulatory Authority