30 health-care workers in isolation in central Labrador, LGH says staff still providing services

With cases spiking in the Labrador-Grenfell Health region — including, for the first time, on Labrador's north coast — LGH's CEO says 30 staff members are currently unable to work due to COVID isolation and exposure protocols. 

CEO Heather Brown told Labrador Morning that while staffing is an issue, the authority has enough staff to provide care for urgent and emergency services on top of pandemic response. 

"We absolutely need to acknowledge that if I were a staff member, my colleague is out, that means more work for somebody else," Brown said. "We're also partnering with other agencies and looking at how we can continue to assess the situation."

The number of staff in isolation comes the same day LGH shifted "all resources" to focus on pandemic response, cancer care, obstetrics, dialysis, mental health and urgent and emergency services only. The health authority said in a statement that if people have an appointment not related to those services, they will be called to reschedule. 

Premier Andrew Furey is in the region this week, administering booster doses in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Furey said Labrador has the highest rates of COVID per 100,000 people in the province and that LGH has also increased testing capacity and has the supply they need. 

When asked why more resources were brought in for booster doses but not testing capacity, Furey said a combination is needed. He said the people who were doing vaccinations are now freed up for other things and they are working to decrease the wait times for testing. 

"We're always trying our best to adapt and change to provide the services that are required for people. But in Labrador in particular ... we're always adapting to be better," Furey said. "This is a crisis that is occurring right now, and we're here dealing with it right now."

Labrador is more vulnerable to communicable diseases than other regions due to geography and housing issues. Furey said the province is in contact with Indigenous governments to make sure they're getting the tools they need. 

Listen: Labrador Morning host Janice Goudie speaks to LGH CEO Heather Brown, Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Grand Chief Etienne Rich and NuntuKavut President Todd Russell:

Meanwhile, the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation didn't wait for the province to put more measures into place over the holidays and instead put the community into a lockdown. Only people from the community are allowed to enter as a safety precaution and people are being asked to not travel outside community limits. 

"People are scared," Grand Chief Etienne Rich told Labrador Morning. "I'm fearing this will go higher numbers before we can see everything going down."

In a Facebook update Monday, the Innu First Nation said the community now has 14 positive cases.

The teams have done about 170 tests so far. The Innu Nation's contact tracing team has been working since Christmas and Rich said they are swamped. 

"It is not that we don't have enough people coming forward, is that we don't have enough staff, and I'm afraid that the staff will be burnt out," Rich said.