Bar-hopping blamed for COVID spike
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/09/2020 (1508 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A young person with COVID-19 symptoms who went bar-hopping and possibly infected 36 people is an example of why Winnipeg’s case numbers are soaring, but Manitoba’s public health chief says he’s not prepared to clamp down on such risky behaviour — not yet, anyway.
"We’ve had a number of cases that have visited more than one bar in a single evening and reports are of crowding and many people in attendance," Dr. Brent Roussin said at a news conference Thursday where he announced 37 new cases of the novel coronavirus, including 30 in Winnipeg.
In recent weeks, half of the new infections in the city are connected to bars, pubs and restaurants, he said. There are currently 364 active cases in Winnipeg.
"That’s a staggeringly high number of people who were at these sites during their (virus) acquisition period," Roussin said, noting many of the new cases involve people in their 20s. He shared some examples to show why Winnipeg’s COVID-19 case numbers are heading in the wrong direction.
Health workers victims of ‘abusive’ behaviour
As coronavirus cases continue to rise, ill-mannered Manitobans are not helping in the fight against COVID-19, the chief provincial public health officer says.
As coronavirus cases continue to rise, ill-mannered Manitobans are not helping in the fight against COVID-19, the chief provincial public health officer says.
Dr. Brent Roussin said Thursday that public health contact tracers, who track down those at risk of spreading the virus, are being verbally abused.
“They are getting many instances of contacts being quite angry, rude and abusive when they’re advised to self-isolate,” Roussin said. “Public health is trying to reduce the impact of this virus on the population.”
An estimated 1,000 Manitobans are self-isolating, including 700 or so in Winnipeg, he said.
“It’s certainly inconvenient to be named as a contact and have to self-isolate,” Roussin acknowledged. “We do it for a reason — to limit the spread of this virus.”
While other high-profile public health chiefs have received death threats, like Dr. Anthony Fauci in the U.S., Canada’s top doctor Theresa Tam and B.C.’s mild-mannered Dr. Bonnie Henry, Roussin said he’s been on the receiving end of a lot of messages but nothing so menacing.
“Right from the beginning of this, I’ve received mostly supportive messages from Manitobans but certainly negative comments on both sides: there’s too much restrictions, there’s too little restrictions; that we should have masks, we shouldn’t have masks.”
And some were just mean.
“I’ve had some very well thought-out insults sent my way, but no threats,” he said.
"We’ve had cases attend more than one bar in an evening while symptomatic — one of which had 36 contacts.
"We’ve heard of sports teams paying close attention to physical distancing when in the locker room then gather closely together soon after the event. This defeats the purpose of physically distancing," Roussin said after confirming Manitoba’s 19th COVID-19-related death, a Winnipeg woman in her 90s.
The province’s top doctor reminded young people that they’re putting others in jeopardy when they put themselves at risk.
"We know that even though there are a number of young individuals acquiring the virus in the Winnipeg region, no one’s risk is truly their own," Roussin said. "These individuals will bring it back to home to perhaps younger siblings, to older grandparents or older contacts or people who are more high risk.
"In a pandemic, when we say we’re all in this together, there’s no way to avoid that. No one can decide their own risk because their risk belongs to others as well."
Roussin urged people to avoid gatherings and stay home if they have symptoms. When they do go out, they need to keep their distance and, if they can’t, they should leave. Wearing masks in places where physical distancing can’t be assured helps but that alone isn’t enough, said Roussin. "We still need to wash hands, keep that distancing and stay home when you’re ill."
Province confirms 19th COVID death
Dr. Brent Roussin confirmed Thursday that a woman in her 90s, who was a resident of the Parkview Place care home in Winnipeg, was the19th Manitoban to die of COVID-19.
Dr. Brent Roussin confirmed Thursday that a woman in her 90s, who was a resident of the Parkview Place care home in Winnipeg, was the19th Manitoban to die of COVID-19.
A “critical” code-red outbreak has been declared and six other residents and one staff member have tested positive for the virus. Revera, which operates the care home, had released the information Tuesday. The company said Thursday that a resident at another one of its properties, Heritage Lodge Long Term Care Home in Winnipeg, had tested positive for COVID-19.
The resident is asymptomatic, said Revera chief medical officer Rhonda Collins, adding any residents who had been in close contact with the confirmed case are self-isolating in their rooms as a precaution while staff members continue to wear personal protective equipment.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority confirmed the case Wednesday, the statement said.
Collins said Heritage Lodge is undergoing enhanced cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas, common rooms and staff rooms. Mealtime and recreation activities have been adjusted to promote physical distancing, and visits have been limited to essential visitors only.
Winnipeg can reduce the spread of the virus and knows what to do, he said. If the city keeps moving in the wrong direction with rising infections, he said he may impose pandemic response restrictions.
"No public health interventions are off the table," Roussin said. "We can see test positivity is climbing."
With a 2.5 per cent five-day test-positivity rate for the province and just over three per cent in Winnipeg, it’s still not nearly as high as the 5.6 per cent rate in Prairie Mountain health region last month. At that time, a "restricted", or code orange, pandemic response was imposed, with mandatory masks and reduced gathering sizes to slow the spread of the virus.
A similar code orange could happen in Winnipeg, he said. "We just haven’t made that determination yet."
The city’s five-day test-positivity rate is just one of the indicators Roussin would consider in making such a determination. Hospitalizations and signs of strain on the health-care system is another. On Thursday, On Thursday, Winnipeg had three COVID-19 hospitalizations, including two patients in intensive care.
While Roussin is not imposing any restrictions for Winnipeg at present, he indicated that enforcement officers are targeting COVID-19 trouble spots across the city.
"If we see transmission events there, we want to make sure we’re focused on areas where we’re seeing transmissions," he said.
"I think that what we want to do is get the message out to Manitobans — we want to speak to the people in that sector," he said.
Shutting down bars and restaurants again isn’t a very savoury option, said the public health chief.
"We know those sectors have been affected by COVID and all these restrictions we had, so it’s challenging."
carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter
After 20 years of reporting on the growing diversity of people calling Manitoba home, Carol moved to the legislature bureau in early 2020.
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History
Updated on Friday, September 25, 2020 1:43 PM CDT: Corrects number of people in hospital with COVID
