GTA medical clinics being probed after two employees test positive for COVID-19 — and the public wasn’t told

A chain of GTA medical clinics is under investigation by public health officials after two employees tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, the Star has learned.

Until now, there has been no warning to the public about Dixie X-Ray Associates - a chain of five medical clinics in Toronto, Vaughan and Mississauga.

Linda Grant-Blewett, the clinic's director, confirmed to the Star Tuesday that two staff tested positive for the deadly virus in the second week of March - an employee at the Toronto location on Finch Ave. W. and her husband, based at the Vaughan clinic on Weston Rd.

The clinic did not contact public health directly or issue a warning to patients and the public.

"With all the commotion going on"everything has been such a schmozzle, we just didn't know who to report to," said Grant-Blewett. "When she was tested, we thought public health stepped in at that point"Public health seemed to be following up."

York Region Public Health confirmed that their officials are aware of a "possible situation at the Dixie Clinic in Vaughan. Public Health is now looking into it further," wrote spokesperson Patrick Casey.

In response to questions about the Toronto clinic, Toronto Public Health confirmed Tuesday, "we currently have no information in regard to this building."

Grant-Blewett said public health officials should have been aware of the positive tests when staff from the Toronto location visited hospital as a group on March 13 to be tested after learning of their colleague's positive test result.

The Toronto-based employee left the clinic on March 12 following a positive test result, Grant-Blewett said. One day later, her husband left his job at the Vaughan clinic. He later tested positive for COVID-19, she said.

Neither has returned to work since, she said.

The Star has spoken with two other employees at the Vaughan clinic, both of whom were laid off last week amid 68 layoffs across the five clinics. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The married staff members who tested positive had "active symptoms" while they were still working and coming into close contact with patients at the two locations, say the two employees."My concern as a health care provider is for that of my patients who have attended these clinics and my co-workers," said the first anonymous employee in an email. "I cannot sit by and risk people's lives. There could be many people who are unaware that they have been infected and they have a right to know."

Grant-Blewett confirmed she did not inform patients of the clinic about the positive tests, saying she didn't believe it was the responsibility of clinic management.

"The protocol is for public health to get in touch with patients. It's public health that take care of that part of it."

She said she did inform staff at the Toronto clinic following the positive test result. And when they sought testing at the hospital, she assumed hospital officials would inform public health officials.

"I honestly don't know if it should have been my job to phone. I thought when you go to hospital, the hospital calls public health. I thought that as the chain of command."

She said she didn't inform staff at the Vaughan location after the second COVID-19 confirmation because the employee had already stopped coming to work and was already self-quarantined.

Both of the recently laid-off employees said they learned of the positive COVID tests from the husband, not clinic management.

"He told us in secret, via text message" as he rushed her to hospital, one said.

The other also said she learned of the positive test through a colleague rather than the clinic's management.

"I think we have a duty to the public to inform people. Someone was tested positive and he could have been sick while (working with) patients."

She said she has since been tested for the virus and is awaiting her results.

"I'm scared."

Both staffers say employees are still working at the clinics who have not been tested or quarantined despite working closely with the two employees who were positive.

"I believe once we found out he tested positive, I think we should have all been tested and quarantined ourselves," said the second employee who worked at the Vaughan clinic.

"When we're around each other in the lunchroom, we don't have masks and gloves on. He tested positive and he was around us. It could transmit to other employees."

Grant-Blewett said all staff tested have been negative and masks and gloves are mandatory.

"I told every one of the staff if they were not comfortable, please go home. I had six or seven who said they didn't want to come back until this is over and there were no repercussions. Everybody else here volunteered to work."

The clinic's website makes no reference to the positive staff tests for COVID-19, stating only: "We are highly committed to your health and safety. Dixie Associates is closely monitoring the developments related to Covid-19...We have implemented several measures to maintain our normal sanitation and sterile environment. We are closely monitoring the situation and are revising our practices as needed."

Another concern raised by one of the two anonymous sources is Grant-Blewett's own travel to the U.S. earlier this month after which she, "refused to self-isolate, exposing us all."

Grant-Blewett confirmed she returned from a trip to Boston on March 11.

"I came back to work 10 days after. But I was back to work six or seven days before it was even issued that you could not go to work and I'd already been back here for seven days."

Grant-Blewett said the clinic has had to lay off 68 people as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak - about half the chain's staff. She said she expects all of them to be re-hired in time.

"I'm in here because I want to protect the staff and order supplies," she said. "It has been difficult"Fifty per cent of the population go through independent health facilities. We do our best. But we do not get the communication coming to us. It's frustrating."

She says there have been communication breakdowns during the outbreak that led to confusion.

On Tuesday, she received a call from a doctor telling her a patient at her clinic a week and a half ago has tested positive for COVID-19.

"I asked the name of the patient and they won't tell me. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that"It's chaos. There needs to be much better coordination."

One employee said she contacted York Public Health March 20 after the first employee tested positive.

She said she also contacted provincial politicians with her concerns, including Humber River-Black Creek MPP Tom Rakocevic.

"My office received a complaint yesterday afternoon containing troubling allegations that, if true, have serious implications for public health and safety amid the COVID-19 outbreak," he said in a written statement. "I immediately flagged it with the Ministry of Health and subsequently forwarded it to Toronto Public Health. I am extremely concerned and expect to see this taken seriously and followed up without delay."

Robert Cribb is a Toronto-based investigative reporter. Reach him via email: rcribb@thestar.ca