COCHRANE— Grande Avenue Village has activated outbreak protocols after the identification of two COVID-19 cases.
Alberta Health has been notified of two cases at the village, one is listed as active and one as recovered. The outbreak was declared on April 14. To date, one case of a variant of concern has been confirmed.
Outbreak measures will be in place until May 12.
Golden Life Management Chief Operating Officer Julius van Wyk said it has been a difficult and unpredictable time since COVID-19 first arrived in Alberta.
“Unfortunately, from day one if we have two or more staff with COVID there is an outbreak. That sounds probably worse than it is,” van Wyk said. “But, we have to be vigilant and take care of how we move forward with it. We want to make sure we nip it in the bud as soon as possible.”
At Golden Life, an emphasis has been placed on enhanced health measures to protect the safety of residents and staff.
“We’ve taken extra precautions to make sure that we keep our residents safe— That is our purpose,” van Wyk said. “We’ve tried to minimize the disruptions to residents in the village too as little as possible.”
They had hoped this year would be safer and fewer COVID-19 related issues would be faced, van Wyk said, instead the virus remains a major concern.
The majority of staff and residents at Grande Avenue Village have received their COVID-19 vaccinations. Van Wyk said he estimates more than 95 per cent of residents and around 80 per cent of staff have had the first dose.
Vaccinations have been a focus at Grande Avenue Village and the hope is to see every resident receive their complete doses as soon as possible.
While having residents and staff vaccinated is keeping them safe, he said, safety measures remain essential to ensuring COVID-19 is not brought into Grande Avenue Village.
There have been no identified COVID-19 cases in residents in Calgary, he said, but some staff have been infected with the virus. The minimal reported cases are a credit to staff and residents for following public health measures, van Wyk said.
Residents at Grande Avenue Village are still able to dine in cohorts while following strict protocols including social distancing and wearing masks in public. Staff are also required to wear personal protective equipment during shifts to minimize the risk of spread.
Some activities including playing cards have been halted, while other programs, including exercise routines, have moved outside to the parking lot outside the home.
“As an organization, it has been a long 14, 15 months, but we are grateful we have committed staff who are committed to offering the best possible care and management and leadership at the home that is in some cases there seven days a week,” van Wyk said. “Hopefully we can get to the end of this soon and we hope that everyone can apply some logic and be responsible in what they do and get the vaccine, practice social distancing and wear PPE so we can stop this virus.”
