Saskatoon woman turned away from surgery following false-positive COVID tests

Adelle Ooms has been patiently waiting for two years for her thyroid surgery.

The day finally came Monday to head into St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Her husband dropped her off and she was not only preparing for the surgery but a multiple-day stay for her recovery at the facility.

But it didn’t end up happening.

Her son, Kelvin, shared her story Tuesday.

“My dad dropped her off at the hospital, and it was probably about an hour or so later that (he) got a phone call (saying), ‘Come pick up your wife. We can’t do the surgery. It’s cancelled because she’s tested positive,’ ” Ooms explained.

He said his parents were both blown away by the news, with rapid tests administered on his mom prior to the surgery. The two swabs were positive, with a third test done and sent to the lab.

Kelvin’s mom questioned those tests.

“My mom said, ‘That can’t be. There’s just no way I can test positive; I don’t go anywhere.’ My mom stays at home. The only time she goes out is for her doctor’s appointments. My dad, same thing. They live in a small apartment condo,” he said.

Kelvin’s parents were told to isolate from one another in their small home. Kelvin said the two were devastated by the news, knowing how much the surgery would change Adelle’s life.

She has dealt with many back issues that have resulted in multiple surgeries over the past many years, Kelvin said. With the additional threat of a serious thyroid issue, the waiting list for the surgery really affected her.

“My mom’s quality of life, No. 1 like everybody else, has diminished since COVID … but she’s been living with this health concern much longer than that,” Kelvin said. “She’s been anxiously waiting for this surgery.”

Adelle is turning 74 next month, putting her within the criteria to receive her COVID vaccine. Upon hearing of her positive tests, she called her family doctor to see if it changes anything that she had tested positive.

That’s where her story takes another turn.

“She phoned … late (Monday) night and had asked now what’s she going to do? Can she still get this shot, or not get the shot? The family doctor says, ‘What are you talking about, Adelle?’ She goes, ‘Well, I went for my surgery today and they wouldn’t give me my surgery because I tested positive for COVID.’ The doctor was beside herself,” Kelvin said, before sharing what the doctor told his mother.

“She says, ‘Adelle, I’ve got all three of your test results sitting in front of me and every one of them is negative.’ ”

650 CKOM was unable to reach Ooms’ family doctor to confirm their claims.

Kelvin said his dad also tested negative for COVID after going through Saskatoon’s drive-through testing site later Monday.

“How is our health system failing us like this?” Kelvin said. “Where’s the support for our citizens that are relying on our health-care system?”

As a care home worker himself, Kelvin understands the work stress many in the industry are under at this point in the pandemic. Yet the Saskatoon man wants to see some change.

“So that these things don’t slip through the cracks … It’s embarrassing. It’s absolutely unacceptable,” he said.

Kelvin said his mother has received information from her doctor stating that even though the negative results were correct, public health adheres to the first test.

Adelle also was able to reach the director of surgery at St. Paul’s Hospital, who said if she doesn’t show any symptoms of COVID within the next 10 days, the surgery will be rebooked as soon as possible.

Kelvin added if Adelle is put back on the waiting list, he has an idea of what will happen to his mother within another two-year wait time.

“She won’t do it another two years. My mom won’t make it another two years if she has to live with these kinds of conditions — I can tell you that right now,” he said. “People’s lives are at risk here, right now.”

SHA responds to Ooms situation

The Saskatchewan Health Authority responded to the claims made by the Ooms family Wednesday afternoon.

It said the safety and well-being of anyone in its care is a very high priority, but it is unable to “publicly discuss any specific case in accordance with HIPA (Health Information Protection Act).”

“While we are not able to specifically address an individual patient’s situation, we can provide some additional information about the screening process for surgical patients,” the statement continues.

“All surgical patients are screened for COVID-19 using a point-of-care (rapid) test. If an individual tests positive, the surgical team is informed. This includes the physician who would be performing the surgery.”

The SHA said it has a standard process to determine if the surgery can continue, which includes evaluating risks of operating on a COVID patient and risks of delaying the surgery.

“For a surgical patient who has tested positive for COVID-19, there is evidence of increased risk of complications when getting the surgery and receiving a general anesthetic. In addition, any procedure involving intubating a COVID-19 positive patient increases the risk for the surgical team, as well as other patients and staff in the hospital,” the statement continues.

“The decision about postponing a surgery is discussed with the patient. As with all others who have tested positive, they would be required to follow the self-isolation guidelines. Once they complete the self-isolation period and if they do not have symptoms, they would be able to get their surgery rescheduled as soon as possible.”

In terms of the reliability of the rapid testing being done in Saskatchewan’s hospitals, the SHA said it is reliable.

“Positives should be acted on accordingly. Once an individual tests positive, standard self-isolation protocols are required. This is especially important to help protect patients and health care workers in the hospital,” the statement concludes.