THUNDER BAY - With household contacts accounting for a large percentage of COVID-19 infections, both in Thunder Bay and across Canada, the federal government is providing much needed funding to voluntary isolation centres in an effort to break the chain of transmission.
Minister of Health Patty Hajdu announced on Monday that $1.5 million will be made available through the federal government’s Safe Voluntary Isolation Program to an isolation centre in Thunder Bay.
Hajdu said Thunder Bay and surrounding region has a fragile health care system and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre serves a vast region.
“When we see infections rise with COVID-19, the hospitalizations and ICU admissions follow. It’s in all of our health interests to reduce the number of infections that people in our community and region face,” she said.
“Part of reducing infections is doing that work is supporting people to isolate as soon as possible when they receive their diagnosis so we can reduce the number of infections in households.”
The $1.5 million will be made available April 1 through Sept. 30 and will be used to add 40 rooms consolidated in one isolation centre and hire additional support and nursing staff.
Tracy Buckler, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Care Group, which has taken the lead along with 10 other community agencies in staffing and operating the isolation centres in the city, said the funding will fill the temporary position needed for six month period.
“We’ve cobbled that together up to this point. To be able to have temporary positions filled on a regular basis for the six month period will help every community agency and ourselves provide the care on a very consistent matter,” she said.
“The minister's announcement of $1.5 million to support this in the community is really critical to continuing what we’ve been doing for the last almost year now to provide that safe voluntary isolation shelter. This funding allows us to have on site supports, health care in place, support services in a safe and appropriate environment.”
According to Buckler, St. Joseph’s Care Group and partnering agencies have been able to provide isolation spaces for more than 1,300 people in the city to date.
“Having a safe place for isolation is so important for the individual but also for the community and the other people that might live in a congregate setting that might live together in housing that has multiple occupants,” she said.
Thunder Bay District Health Unit medical officer of Health, Dr. Janet DeMille, said the funding is a relief and provides reassurances that supports for people needing to isolate will remain in place.
DeMille added that throughout the pandemic the virus has easily spread among people living together, leading to surges in positive cases.
“Sometimes people can have a lot of difficulties isolating in their own homes or the place they are living for a number of different reasons and that can be very challenging in management and trying to control the spread of this virus,” she said.
“Throughout the pandemic, but more recently, we have also been dealing with individuals who haven’t had reasonable alternatives for self isolation. The fundamental importance of a safe isolation site where they can maintain that isolation where people can be provided with the supports they need to maintain that isolation for the 10 days they have COVID or even longer.”
In February, the city of Thunder Bay declared a second state of emergency due to outbreaks of COVID-19 among two correctional facilities and in vulnerable populations.
There were concerns isolation centres could become overwhelmed and city officials advocated for more financial and human resource assistance.
“This I am certain will bridge us through the summer months and when we come out on the other side of this around September I think we will all be in a much better place and the needs of this population have been met,” said Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro.
“What we are doing at this isolation centre is providing great relief to the local hospital. If the isolation centre was not in place, much of this work would fall on the regional health sciences centre.”