Outbreak of B.1.1.7 variant declared at Edmonton long term care home

EDMONTON (660NEWS) — A long-term care home in Alberta is the first facility to have an outbreak of the much more contagious COVID-19 variant.

It was announced late Friday that Churchill Manor in Edmonton had a single case, since then, that number has grown to 27.

Out of those 27 cases in staff and residents at Churchill Manor, 19 are confirmed to be linked to the B.1.1.7 variant.

Hinshaw says it's a reminder of how quickly the virus can spread – from one case to 27 in a matter of days.

Says it also shows how quickly the virus can work its way back into vulnerable populations. #yeg #yyc #ableg #covid19ab https://t.co/Vr3IMIguuG

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) March 3, 2021

“This is a reminder that, of course, we are not out of the woods yet with respect to COVID-19 and the rapid spread that is possible with the variant,” Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.

Dr. Hinshaw says the long-term care facility did receive their vaccinations on Monday as part of the rollout schedule, but it appears some of those doses were not effective.

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“That, of course, would not protect individuals who had already been exposed but it will help those at that site to now be building their immunity,” she said. “Those who haven’t yet been exposed would be expected to have some protection against infection and severe outcomes.”

To help control the outbreak, enhanced lab testing and rapid screening are being used.

No details have been given on how the variants made their way into the facility.