Nine residents at the St. Albert Chartwell Retirement Residence have died during an outbreak of COVID-19, making it the most deadly outbreak of the virus in St. Albert to date.
As of Dec. 28, 35 residents and 14 staff members are currently diagnosed with COVID-19. Thirty-three residents and 12 staff members are no longer testing positive for the virus. The number of deaths rose from four to nine people over the Christmas long weekend.
In total, 103 people have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak was declared on Dec. 8. There are 208 residents inside the facility.
"We know that this is an exceptionally difficult time and the deep concern this creates for our residents, their family members, our staff and the entire community," wrote Sharon Ranalli, Chartwell vice president of marketing and communications, in an email to the Gazette. "We will continue to support our residents through this with the support of our staff and health care partners."
Ranalli said the severity of the outbreak at Chartwell St. Albert is related to the "nature of the virus, the growing rate of community spread and the tools currently available to manage the spread of this highly contagious disease in a congregate setting with an older population."
Chartwell is working closely with public health officials to manage the outbreak, Ranalli wrote, with isolation protocols, cleaning practices, personal protective equipment, staffing plans and infection prevention and control procedures in place.
On Dec. 23, Alberta Health Services began rolling out an additional 25,350 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to health care workers and long-term care workers across the province during the first phase. More than 4,500 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Alberta as of Thursday.
Ranalli called the vaccine a "critical step in saving lives and protecting our residents and staff." On Dec. 22, general manager Ola McIntosh wrote to families of Chartwell residents that "our understanding is that our residents and staff will be included in the early phases of vaccine roll-out in the province."
"This is great news, and I will certainly keep you informed going forward as we receive more information about when the vaccine will become available to our residents and staff," McIntosh wrote to families.
As of Dec. 27, there are 339 active cases of COVID-19 in St. Albert, an increase of 105 cases from over the Christmas weekend. In total, 1,556 people had tested positive in the city for the virus. Of those, 1,214 had recovered. Thirteen people have died, according to provincial data.
The impact of COVID-19 on older people and senior homes in the province has been stark. Approximately 95 per cent of COVID-19 related deaths in the province have been Albertans aged 60 years or older. There are 77 outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term and continuing care facilities in the Edmonton Zone alone, according to provincial data.
