‘Extremely dangerous’: COVID-19 positive person can support pediatric, maternity patients in Alberta hospitals

EDMONTON (CityNews) ─ All visitors and designated support people stepping into any medical facility in Alberta must first go through COVID-19 screening, confirming they have no symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

However there are exemptions for support people for pediatric or maternity patients, meaning that someone who is COVID-positive would be allowed to be by the patient’s side on some conditions.

A “record of decision” signed by Dr. Deena Hinshaw dating back to July is raising concerns online.

In the open letter, it says an exemption should be granted for “a person who is symptomatic or who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and is subject to isolation, and has been requested by an obstetrical patient to attend hospital or other medical facility with the obstetrical patient as an essential support person.”

Emergency care physician Dr. Joe Vipond says this is an “extremely dangerous situation for AHS to be putting everybody into.

“Here we have this exemption saying COVID positive patients can knowingly enter a labour and delivery ward and support their health-care worker using minimal precautions, which is not enough to prevent transmission between the source patient and the health-care workers, or the mom or potentially other patients in the unit.”

But Dr. Stephanie Cooper, a high-risk obstetrician-gynecologist at Foothills Hospital in Calgary, says from her experience the letter is being taken out of context.

“I think it was meant to recognize that many women do develop symptoms and get swabbed in labour, and in those circumstances their partner shouldn’t be sent home because they are a dyad, because they are together,” said Cooper. “But I absolutely understand that the way it’s written it could theoretically be open to interpretation.”

While it sounds scary knowing COVID-positive people could be in the maternity unit, Dr. Cooper says expecting mothers shouldn’t have to worry.

“If a woman is found to have COVID, she would not share a room with another patient,” said Cooper. “So her partner would be able to be in the room with her, but again they would be in isolation.”

In a statement to CityNews, AHS says “in cases where an exemption is granted for an essential support person, protocols are in place to ensure the safety of our staff and all patients on the maternity unit.

“They must inform the hospital or medical facility prior to their arrival, so staff can ensure they are able to safely provide care. They must also follow all directions from medical staff concerning precautions against COVID-19 transmission.”

Those precautions include making sure the patient and support person are under contact and droplet isolation; the support person must be masked; and the support person much maintain physical distancing.