Special Lodge Bulletin January 6, 2022
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The circulating variant Omicron is highly contagious, even for those who are vaccinated and boosted. This new wave of infection is rising much faster and higher than anything we’ve seen before. The good news is it appears to be less dangerous, especially to fully vaccinated people. The bad news is it is everywhere, infecting way more people than past waves, so we must once again take strong measures to avoid infection, protect our residents as much as possible and try to help the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed.
HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP:
• Residents returning to the lodge after having been away for more than 24 hours must wear a surgical mask, which we will provide, for 14 days in common areas, except when actively eating and drinking.
• Residents should actively screen themselves for the following symptoms – if you have of these symptoms you are required to isolate and tell us immediately: o Do you have any new onset (or worsening) of the following symptoms?
• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Chills
• Painful swallowing
• Nasal congestion
• Feeling unwell / fatigued
• Nausea / vomiting / diarrhea
• Unexplained loss of appetite
• Loss of sense of taste or smell
• Muscle / joint aches
• Headache
• Conjunctivitis (commonly known as pink eye) o If you answered “YES” to any symptom in question 3: Stay in your room, notify your operator contact and arrange testing.
• Residents who have had close contact with someone who is a confirmed case of Covid-19 must also wear a surgical mask, which we will provide, for 14 days in common areas, and must take meals in their suites. They must also actively screen
themselves for the symptoms listed above – if you have of these symptoms you are required to isolate and tell us immediately.
• ALL RESIDENTS –
o I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you wear a mask when you are in the common areas of the lodge, except when you are ACTIVELY eating and drinking. We can give you good, medical-quality masks – please ask.
o I also ask you to reduce non-essential visitors to the lodge and non-essential trips off the lodge grounds – REDUCE YOUR CONTACTS TO REDUCE YOUR RISK.
o Check yourself daily for the symptoms listed above and if you have any know that you are required to isolate and tell us immediately.
Please know that we have ordered many rapid tests from the government, which we will use to test our staff regularly. We hope to be able to use some of them to test residents if they have close contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19. These tests have not yet arrived, but we hope to see them in the next couple of weeks.
The Omicron wave is a fast-hitting storm that is already starting in Canmore. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be as dangerous as the earlier versions, but the number of cases will be very high – it remains to be seen how it will impact our community, but we are hopeful. Please help by being extra careful for the next while – we’ll know soon how bad, or not, it will be.
The fifth wave of cases is growing very quickly. We need your help to protect our lodge residents. I recognize and very much appreciate the helpful efforts that most of you have and will continue to make to protect yourselves and others, despite the great and ongoing challenges of these times.
The current situation in Alberta: there are over 37,500 KNOWN cases in the province (MUCH higher than ever before), including around 500 in the BVRH region. The total number of active cases in Alberta right now is likely around 150,000 to 200,000 – this is like nothing we have ever seen before. There are likely approximately 2,000 in the Bow Valley. THIS IS WHY WE NEED YOU TO DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO HELP.
Tragically more than nearly 3,330 Albertans have died, including 14 from our area. The core requirements and recommendations in effect include:
• You must stay in your suite if you feel at all unwell except to seek medical assistance. Tell the staff right away if you feel at all unwell.
• Please avoid people who have been around others who have recently been sick.
• Avoid indoor interactions with people who are not fully vaccinated.
• Wash and or sanitize your hands often.
• Avoid sick people and crowded places.
• Have the things that you need delivered as much as possible.
• Please connect socially with others via phone or internet as much as possible.
This too shall pass; with your help it will pass with minimal risk to you and our staff. Here’s to a happy and healthy 2022 – I am cautiously optimistic that this wave marks the end of the worst of the pandemic.
Sincerely, Ian
