A statement from city officials on Monday said the person has been transferred to Toronto’s COVID-19 isolation and recovery facility, which also houses people who need to be isolated because of monkeypox. It said city public health and housing officials are investigating “to determine if there are additional cases.” The city has not released the identity of the shelter, said how long the person had been there or confirmed whether the shelter is dealing with a monkeypox outbreak as a result.
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Diana Chan McNally, a community worker at a Toronto center for people in need, said the spread of monkeypox in Toronto’s shelter system, in addition to ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases present in the shelters, it could be “a recipe for mass infection.” Story continues below ad “This is a disease that can affect anyone,” said Chan McNally of All Saints Drop-in. “If you have people in close proximity to each other, sharing space and tight quarters in gatherings, I envision we’ll see massive contamination within the system.” The city said it continues to work with health experts to reduce the risk of monkeypox, COVID-19 and other communicable diseases in high-risk areas such as shelters. Trending Stories
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To limit the number of cases at the shelters, the city said it continues to implement prevention and control measures, such as enhanced cleaning protocols and the use of personal protective equipment. The city also said it is working with experts to minimize transmission through testing, education and case management planning with shelter providers. The Toronto Shelter, Support and Housing Authority is working with Toronto Public Health to determine whether a monkeypox vaccination program can be developed for the shelter system, according to a city statement. Now that monkeypox has been confirmed in the shelter system, Chan McNally said people experiencing homelessness should be among the groups prioritized for vaccination.
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“We need to ensure that shelter hotels don’t close and we need to strengthen recovery sites for COVID as well as monkeypox,” said Chan McNally. “Right now we don’t have enough space if we’re looking at potentially massive contamination.” Story continues below ad Chan McNally also said the city should be more careful with information about the confirmed case, for the sake of those entering the shelter system. “I take it there has not been an outbreak declared yet? but I am really outraged that there is no information about it,” she said. “It’s not for me to know, but people who are experiencing homelessness and have a right to know if their health could be at risk if they’re currently in this shelter or if they’re planning to enter the system.” Public Health Ontario said there were 367 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the province as of Thursday, with nearly 78 percent of the reported cases in Toronto. He says almost all the people affected are men, with only two reported female patients. The agency said most cases are among men who report close contact with men, but said anyone can get monkeypox. The virus generally does not spread easily and is transmitted through prolonged close contact through respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions or body fluids, or through contaminated clothing or bedding. © 2022 The Canadian Press
