'Cautious optimism' expressed by Alberta's top doctor amid Calgary E. coli outbreak

Alberta's chief medical officer of health spoke optimistically Tuesday about the ongoing E. coli outbreak in Calgary.

Dr. Mark Joffe said while "we're still not out of the woods," he is encouraged by falling daily health numbers and a "sustained decrease" in the number of children who require hospital care.

"We're also not seeing any significant spike in secondary cases," Joffe said. "This is a cause for cautious optimism as we move to what we hope will soon be the end of this extremely serious outbreak."

Joffe noted that Tuesday's numbers continue to trend "in the right direction."

As of Sept. 19, there are 348 lab-confirmed cases of E. coli, unchanged from the day before.

No new secondary cases have been confirmed in the past 48 hours, Joffe said.

Currently, eight children are receiving care in hospital, down from nine on Monday. Of the eight, two are receiving dialysis, down from three on Monday.

"Those children with more severe illness are in stable condition and they are responding to treatment," Joffe said.

In total, 707 children connected to the outbreak have been cleared to return to daycare.

Currently, there are six daycares in Calgary under a closure order or partial closure order, one less than the day before.

Joffe urged parents whose daycares are closed to keep their children at home.

He said kids should only be sent to another daycare facility if they've tested negative for E. coli, if they have no symptoms and if they've been given clearance from AHS.

Joffe says an "intricate and comprehensive investigation into the outbreak source" remains underway, adding that officials are hopefully getting closer to understanding how this outbreak occurred.

A public health team is reviewing the food histories for more than 1,150 children and 250 daycare staff in an effort to potentially identify a "likely source" of the outbreak.

Joffe said they anticipate having an update on that work "very soon," but said it's also possible that the exact source of the outbreak will never be known.

"But we are doing our very best to narrow it down."

The central kitchen at the centre of the outbreak remains closed indefinitely.

HOW TO APPLY FOR COMPASSIONATE CARE FUNDS?

On Tuesday, Children and Family Services Minister Searle Turton acknowledged the compassionate care funds the province announced on Sept. 16 haven't been distributed to parents, nor is there a way for them to apply for the money just yet.

"It is my full intention to get these payments sent out as quickly as possible," he said.

The funding will see families impacted by the outbreak receive a one-time payment of $2,000 per child.

"We're working with different ministries to get the portal opened up so that families can access these funds," Turton said Tuesday. "I know there's a lot of anxiety about when these funds will be coming out and we're doing everything in our power to get these funds released as soon as possible."

PUBLIC INQUIRY?

Alberta's NDP is calling for a public inquiry into the E. coli outbreak.

On Monday, Premier Danielle Smith said a review will take place, but details will be released once the worst of the crisis has passed. 

It's a sentiment echoed by Health Minister Adriana LaGrange on Tuesday.

"We have got a very thorough investigation going right now. We want to see what the results of that investigation (are), and once we have those results, if it warrants further action then we'll take that further action," she said.

FUELING BRAINS LETTER

Fueling Brains Academy daycares distributed a letter to parents on Monday saying it will issue credits for the days children did not attend care in September, which can be applied to future tuition.

Fueling Brains is asking parents to pack lunches for their kids for the time being.

"We are still working on a long-term food solution. In the meantime, parents at the affected campuses will receive a food credit for $5/day for lunch until we secure a new provider," the letter reads.

Families still testing positive, awaiting results or who’ve been hospitalized will be refunded for the days missed and tuition for the month of October will be suspended.

For children no longer attending Fueling Brains following the outbreak, the company is waiving the 30-day cancellation policy and any credits for days missed will be refunded before Oct. 6.