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No coronavirus symptoms at Fort St. John's Peace Villa, Northern Health says

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Fort St. John Hospital. (via Tom Summer)

Northern Health says no residents at the Peace Villa care home have shown symptoms of COVID-19, after it was learned this week one of its staff members tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

All eyes in B.C. are on long-term and assisted living facilities: There have been 24 outbreaks now province wide, and 235 of the 462 active COVID-19 cases in B.C. are in long-term care or assisted living homes. Thirty people have died.

Northern Health officials in Prince George have released little details of the test positive case in Fort St. John. Family reported the news publicly on Thursday, and the case has forced the effective lockdown of the nearby Blueberry River First Nation.

The worker was medevaced to Prince George on Monday, according to family, and is still in serious but stable condition. The worker's last shift was around two weeks ago, though the exact date remains unknown.

"Peace Villa leadership and Northern Health have been communicating to staff regularly, either through regular rounds in Peace Villa several times a day, and through Daily Staff Digest communications, about the importance of self-monitoring and not coming to work if they are feeling unwell," said Angela De Smit, chief operating officer for Northern Health in the northeast.

"The incubation period has passed and no residents have shown any symptoms."

De Smit says enhanced personal protection equipment measures were put in place on March 26.

"Peace Villa staff were directed to wear a mask and eye protection for the duration of their work shift, and to add other PPE (such as gloves) when providing direct care - to protect the residents, and themselves," De Smit said. "Additionally at the same time Peace Villa staff started to increase their monitoring of residents for symptoms."

The doors to Peace Villa were locked March 24 after visits were restricted throughout the Fort St. John Hospital.

"As well more than two weeks ago, Peace Villa also implemented having a greeter at the entrance seven days a week, to screen all visitors for symptoms and/or feeling unwell," De Smit said. "And as all health care facilities in the province have done, we have implemented restrictions limiting to essential visits only, in order to protect our vulnerable residents."

De Smit acknowledged the threshold for declaring an outbreak at a care home is very low – a single identified staff or resident case.

"But - it is important to note that the definition of a staff case is that a staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19 and had worked in the facility during their infectious (or communicable) period, potentially exposing other staff or residents," De Smit said. "To date, we have had no cases meeting that criteria, and therefore no facility-based outbreaks in the NH region."

Individuals can choose to report their COVID-19 diagnosis, but the health authority cannot, De Smit said.

"As you may now be aware from social media discussions, media coverage and public concerns have been expressed after a local health care worker at Peace Villa disclosed their own COVID-19 diagnosis," De Smit said. "While individuals may choose to disclose their own personal health information - we as a health authority are bound by strict privacy measures and legislation to protect information about any individual cases, unless there is a public health reason (such as a facility outbreak, or public exposure) to do otherwise. Staff and resident confidentiality, and the trust placed in us to protect it, is integral to the services we provide."

- Matt Prepost, Alaska Highway News