Family member of COVID-19 case in Thunder Bay long-term care home urges public to follow public health rules

It's a phone call that you never want to get; hearing a family member, who lives in long-term care, has contracted COVID-19.

It's exactly the call that Mary, whose name CBC has agreed to change for privacy concerns, received on Monday night. 

Mary's relative, who lives at a long-term care home in Thunder Bay, Ont., is one of the 12 confirmed cases at Southbridge Roseview. Three staff members at the facility have also tested positive for the virus.

The call came in the evening, and was from a physician who is overseeing the outbreak. The call confirmed the diagnosis, but also outlined some options for care.

"They've learned from other long term care homes in the province and there are some preventative measures that can be taken to help them help their bodies navigate some of the some of the symptoms that they could potentially have," she said.

"I've always said that folks living in long term care, it's like they're sitting ducks. They're just waiting. If if it gets in there, there's it's just very scary. It's very scary for folks that live in long term care because, of course, their immunity is compromised," she said, noting her relative has dementia, is non-verbal, and uses a wheelchair.

"They are more elderly. They're just ... they didn't ask for this. They're just waiting. And if it happens in the home, it's, it's scary."

Mary said she was with the relative all weekend, and on Monday. They were tested for the virus on Saturday, but did not receive results until Monday evening.

She said she received a call from the health unit on Tuesday morning advising her that she was to go into self-isolation for 14 days, because of the exposure she received while visiting her relative. She said she had been isolating since Friday, before going to visit the relative.

"Sometimes people that know me know that I like to break rules sometimes, but this is ... just not now," she said, admitting that the pandemic is wearing on many people.

"Now is not the time to do that. It's time to listen. Although we can all walk around and say, oh, it won't affect us. Our kids will be just fine or I'll get through this fine. The front line workers and people in long term care didn't ask for this."

"And I would just say we need to start listening and we need to stay home when it's not essential. We just need to stay home when it's not essential. I understand grocery shopping. I understand doctors appointments. I understand going to work. But do we really need to be doing some of the things that we are doing?"

Mary said what concerns her the most, is how the visit she had with her relative on Monday, could be her last.

"I will only be getting updates when there's a change for the worse," she said, noting the home can't handle the volume of requests it is getting to speak about the condition of individual residents.

 "If he becomes end of life, I can't go and see him. And that's heartbreaking."