A COVID-19 outbreak at Nanaimo’s Longlake Chateau has so far been significantly ‘blunted’ by the vaccine, says Island Health’s top doctor.
Dr. Richard Stanwick, chief medical health officer for Island Health, said at a press conference Tuesday, March 30, that the most severe symptoms that have shown up at the independent living facility are those of a “somewhat moderate cold” and “totally tolerable.”
He recalled that before seniors in long-term care facilities were immunized, COVID-19 brought with it a fatality rate of 20 per cent in those populations.
“So compare a mild cold to probably one or two of those people dying, had they not had the vaccine. That speaks to how effective that single dose is,” Stanwick said.
He told the News Bulletin last week that 100 per cent of the residents at Longlake Chateau chose to receive vaccine when it was made available to them, and said the virus may have spread to the facility before residents were immunized or before they had built up immunity.
“We’re not totally preventing the manifestation of the virus, but boy are we blunting its impact on the most vulnerable people’s health,” Stanwick said Tuesday.
Eight residents at Longlake Chateau tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Island Health declared an outbreak at the facility on March 25 and immediately restricted admissions and visitation, enhanced cleaning, and tested all residents and staff for the virus.
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