AHS assumes operation of Alberta care home with 37 COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths

Manoir du Lac care facility in McLennan, Alta. is shown in this undated Google Street View image.

EDMONTON — Alberta Health Services is taking over operations of a continuing care facility in McLennan that has seen 37 confirmed COVID-19 cases and five deaths due to "inadequate" care standards.

Manoir du Lac has 62 residents and employs 70 staff, according to AHS. As of Friday, 26 residents had tested positive for the disease along with 11 staff members.

Because of the severity of the outbreak and issues at the home, AHS is immediately implementing daily screenings including temperature checks and symptom monitoring for all residents.

"The identification of issues at that site included problems with not enough staff and those staff who were at the site, working extremely long shifts," Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health, said in her daily news conference Friday.

She said the home also wasn't adequately screening staff who were presenting symptoms, nor screening visitors per health guidelines.

Now, any residents displaying new symptoms will be isolated in their rooms and any staff caring for them will have to wear recommended personal protective equipment.

"These measures are being taken to ensure that residents get the care they need," Hinshaw said.

On Friday, the province announced it would start testing all staff and residents of continuing care facilities for COVID-19 regardless of whether or not they show symptoms.

Premier Jason Kenney and Hinshaw announced 239 new cases of the disease on Friday, marking the single-largest daily total yet, something they attributed to ramped up testing in the province.