Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 9, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba <s> ■e- C MBK -e- PAGE A1 I ■ I ■ RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE f & & & Q5%L ■ & & & ▲ & & & W & & & k & & & B & & & VARIABLE CLOSED (apr+) FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020 M M MB FOUNDED IN 1872 ■ & & & ^^B & & & B^^ Wmip% tree Press ► CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGH 16 — LOW 3 Premier scrambles to announce new test sites Promises measures to shorten wait times LARRY KUSCH AND DANIELLE DA SILVA REACTING to mounting pressure to speed up and expand Manitoba’s COVID-19 screening capacity, Premier Brian Pallister announced Thursday the establishment of two new drive-thru test sites in Winnipeg. Pallister’s announcement came less than three hours after Manitoba’s chief public health officer was unable to answer repeated questions on the creation of new testing sites at the province’s regular COVID-19 update. When pushed by reporters at Thursday’s 12:30 p.m. news conference to commit to a timeline, Dr. Brent Rous-sin said there were too many moving pieces to offer any sort of guarantee. Less than three hours later, Pallister was singing a different tune. “I believe Manitobans deserve to get an improved system with better testing, shorter lineups, faster response times,” Pallister said, as he announced the creation of the new testing sites. One is expected to open at 1066 Nairn Ave. on Tuesday, with another coming on stream at 125 King Edward St. the week after next. More test sites are to open in Dauphin, Portage la Prairie and Winkler. Pallister said the government is working to expand hours at existing test sites. An announcement on that is expected next week. Health officials are meeting with doctors in a bid to use their offices to expand testing. As well, Pallister announced that Red River College will begin to train people later this fall who can perform nasal swabs and other coronavirus screening tasks. The late-day announcement came as Manitobans continue to suffer hours-long waits for coronavirus tests and up to a week for test results — and a day after critics attacked his government’s throne speech for not offering a plan to improve the situation. The premier’s announcement had several of the hallmarks of a hastily arranged event. A formal notice did not go out to all media, and there was no accompanying news release. Details of several of the new initiatives would not be provided until next week, reporters were told. NDP Leader Wab Kinew said he wonders why the government took so long to act. It’s long been known that test capacity would need to be ramped up by fall, he said. “There are serious questions about why the government is only making these moves at this late date,” he said. It’s also been evident for months that more staff would have to be trained to expand testing, Kinew said. The government should have acted sooner to prepare a college course so that students could have begun training at the beginning of the academic year. Pallister admitted even he’s not satisfied with the province’s performance on testing of late. “I think we can do better, and when you can do better, you should,” he said. He said weeklong waits for COVID-19 test results are “just not acceptable.” On Thursday, the single drive-thru testing site in Winnipeg began turning away people seeking a nasal swab at around 2:30 p.m., according to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. The three other WRHA testing sites were not expected to reach capacity. • TESTING, CONTINUED ON A3 Premier Brian Pallister says he's not satisfied with long wait times for tests, results. Second wave to affect First Nations, Ottawa says KELLY GERALDINE MALONE CANADA’S top doctor says the second wave of COVID-19 has surfaced as a series of regional epidemics, and the federal government is warning about rising case numbers on First Nations. “Given what we have seen in the last two weeks, there is little doubt the second wave of COVID-19 will hit Indigenous communities harder,” Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Thursday in Ottawa. Miller explained that during the first months of the pandemic, infection rates on reserves were relatively low compared to the public. But in the past six weeks, there have been outbreaks in Indigenous communities across the country. There are currently 123 active cases of COVID-19 on reserves, the majority in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. A First Nation in northern Saskatchewan went into lockdown and closed its schools Thursday over concerns of COVID-19 transmission following a series of religious services where participants were unmasked. Earlier this week, a First Nation in Manitoba, Little Grand Rapids, took similar action after 19 people in the small, remote community tested positive. Regional epidemics across the country will require a tailored response, said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer. It will also require every person to stay vigilant and be ready to adapt to changes, she said. There has been an average of 2,052 new cases daily over the past week. On Thursday, Ontario reported 797 new cases — the most it has had in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said 57 per cent of those new infections were people under the age of 40. • FIRST, CONTINUED ON A2 0 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mary Capri has received no cleaning and laundry service from home care during the pandemic. She worries about other seniors in the same position. Home care clients fed up with service disruption KATIE MAY FOR months, Mary Capri’s bedsheets went unwashed, her floors unscrubbed, her carpets unvaccuumed. More than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the 70-year-old retired teacher is among Manitobans — many of whom are housebound — still waiting for word on when their home care services will resume. “I don’t want to cause trouble, but I just think it’s unfair that I’m getting older each day, and watching more bad, sad things on the TV, and you’re wondering, ‘Well, does anybody care about the seniors?’” Capri said. Essential personal care services — such as doling out medication, bathing and helping people get dressed — are still running, but house cleaning duties within Manitoba’s home care program were suspended in mid-March. Capri, who uses a walker, and has severe arthritis and tendonitis, has been receiving weekly baths and has had her bedsheets laundered twice in the past six months. She said she knows others in similar situations, some of whom don’t have families to help with household chores. Capri said she understands dealing with the novel coronavirus is the priority, but she feels seniors who rely on home care have been left out of the provincial government’s messaging. “They’re certainly talking about people that are very sick with COVID, which they should be doing, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that. But I also think they should take care of those of us who are still trying to live.” In a statement Thursday, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority acknowledged Manitoba’s COVID-19 response has affected home care services, and expressed gratitude for clients’ patience. “At this time, the WRHA is working to maximize community resources to support COVID-19 testing efforts and our overall COVID-19 response. This work has had some impact on home care resources, resulting in a pause in our plans to resume previous levels of service,” the statement reads in part. “We continue to work hard to meet the needs of our clients and their families while balancing the need to support the region’s COVID-19 response efforts.” The WRHA didn’t answer questions about how many Manitobans have experienced interruptions in home care services or how it will determine when those services will resume. Instead, a spokeswoman said clients should contact their home care case co-ordinator if they have questions. In its throne speech Wednesday, the provincial government promised to enhance home care options, introduce digital home care and provide “increased access to flexible, selfdirected care funding” for seniors. That’s “code for increased privatization,” said Brianne Goertzen, head of the Manitoba Health Coalition, a non-profit that pushes for expansion of universal public health care. • HOME CARE, CONTINUED ON A2 INSIDE 'MAKE CAREFUL CHOICES' Dr. Roussin implores public to remember fundamentals as city reports record increase in COVID-19 cases / A3 LIVESTREAMED LEGISLATURE MIRROR ON MANITOBA The first virtual sitting in the 150-year history of the Manitoba legislature went off with few glitches / A4 Winnipeg Art Gallery reflects on decades of Manitoba art with new exhibit / D1 -e- -e- A_01_Oct-09-20_FP_01.indd A1 0 2020-10-08 10:12 PM ;