Supporting People with COVID-19 Who Can Accompany Giving Patients in Alberta Hospitals | The Canadian News

Cianna Lyon, a fully vaccinated Lethbridge woman who is 35 weeks pregnant with her first child, said it is a “very exhausting time” to wait “with the health care system as it is now.”

Adding to stress is a Alberta Health Order of July – brought to light by a Calgary doctor on social media Saturday – saying that people who test positive for COVID-19 can be with the maternity patient during her hospital stay as an essential or designated support person.

“It made my heart sink,” Lyon said Sunday.

“I don’t want to knowingly put my baby in that situation, but unfortunately, I have no other choice. I have to give birth to my baby. “

From October 4, a support person you can be on site with a maternity patient.

Waivers for supportive individuals, such as those symptomatic or isolated after testing positive for COVID-19, have been granted since July and are granted in “exceptional circumstances” and only at the request of the patient giving birth, AHS said. .

COVID-19 positive support individuals must follow protocols, including advising the facility prior to arrival, wearing a mask and being physically distant from everyone except mom and baby, according to AHS.

Lyon called it a bad political decision.

“I couldn’t believe that senior health officials were making these decisions, and I felt that regardless of whether it was really intentional or not, they were intentionally putting myself, other pregnant moms and newborn babies at risk,” she said.

“I’m sorry that whatever it takes, especially since we know that pregnant women and babies are so vulnerable to severe COVID outcomes, all precautions must be taken.”

‘Doing the best they can’

Red Deer OB / GYN Dr. Aaron Pink said COVID-19 positive support people are instructed to wear a mask at all times and limit their comings and goings, so that “no one walks freely in the hallways or expose yourself to other people. “

Staff are wearing appropriate personal protective equipment and switching between patients, he said.

“There are definitely some factors. I mean, when you’re in a room with a COVID-positive patient, even with the proper personal protective equipment, you’re still at some risk, “Pink said.

“As an on-call obstetrician, I would be caring for multiple people, so once again, by following all the protocols for putting on and taking off our protective gear properly, the risk is definitely minimized. But those patients are kept separate from patients who are not positive for COVID. “

He noted that the status of the vaccine is not taken into account in housing decisions.

Despite these efforts, Pink said doctors are caught between a rock and a hard place.

“I think that, for everyone’s safety, a policy where people with positive COVID support are not allowed into the hospital would be the safest measure,” he said.

“To limit the spread to susceptible people, including babies being born … I don’t think COVID-positive support people should be in the hospital.”

Still, Pink believes that a hospital is one of the safest environments in which to give birth.

“I would definitely encourage people, despite reservations, which I fully understand, to trust that their healthcare providers have their best interests in mind and do the best they can to help them through a very difficult time,” he said. .

‘It’s not just me’

Lyon does not feel safe giving birth under these circumstances.

“I felt like I had to speak because it’s not just me; it is all pregnant women and newborn babies who deserve protection, ”he said.

“I absolutely recognize the need for moms in labor to have the person of their choice there, but that doesn’t comfort me.

“I don’t want to knowingly walk into a maternity ward or obstetric unit knowing there might be COVID-positive people there.. “

Lyon said she has taken every precaution to stay safe during her pregnancy.

“I feel like all the effort I’ve put in over the last nine months is nil because when I get there, I can’t manage or control who I’m exposed to,” she said.

‘All people deserve attention’: AHS

AHS said the decision was made because “we know the importance of having support right now. This is a critical part of our approach to patient-centered care. “

“Otherwise, the essential support person must follow the sanitary isolation orders of the medical director. They must travel directly to the healthcare facility with no intermediate stops, ”AHS said.

“We strongly recommend that all designated and essential support persons are fully immunized and are physically and mentally capable of assisting the patient and staff with patient care.”

AHS told Global News on Sunday: “In Alberta, exemptions for symptomatic or COVID-positive individuals to accompany a maternity patient to a healthcare facility as an essential support person are very rare. These exemptions are only granted in exceptional circumstances for the benefit of the maternity patient and after a thorough evaluation of all risk factors and mitigation strategies. “

Since the start of the pandemic, the health authority said staff members have “safely supported COVID-positive maternity patients and their babies during delivery and postpartum, following protocols that also apply to women. positive COVID essential support people. “

“All people deserve attention and all necessary measures are taken to protect them and other patients in the unit,” the statement said.

“During their time on the unit, great efforts are taken to keep symptomatic or COVID-positive individuals separate from other patients.”