New outbreak at Okanagan care home; 29 new COVID cases in B.C.

Apr 23, 2020 | 4:05 PM

There is a new COVID-19 outbreak at a long term care facility in the Okanagan.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced one case to a staff member at the Hawthorn Park-Orchard Manor on K.L.O. Road in Kelowna.

“Outbreak protocols have been implemented at that facility,” said Henry.

The staff member is in self-isolation at home. No residents have been affected to date.

Hawthorn Park provides independent and assisted living services and Orchard Manor provides long-term care services. The two sites are connected by a common building and together the facility includes 161 beds, none of which are health authority funded. The outbreak is declared for the full campus of care.

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Interior Health and the operator, Verve Senior Living, are taking steps to protect the health of everyone.

Communication with residents and families is underway and there are dedicated staff resources at the site responding to questions from residents, families and staff.

An IH response team of infection control and environmental health experts is working with the facility to assess and recommend the required response. Additionally, the following actions have been implemented:

The movement of staff and residents within the sites has been restricted.
Cleaning and infection control measures have been increased.
Daily symptom screening of all residents and staff.

Any individual deemed to have had significant contact with the case has been directed to self isolate at home for 14 days. Both residents and staff at this facility will be monitored very closely, with testing and isolation as appropriate.

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That was one of three cases in the Interior Health region announced Thursday by Henry.

Around the province, there has been 29 new cases, bringing the total to 1,824, with 1,092 of those having fully recovered

A total of 103 people are in hospital with 44 in critical or ICU care.

There are four new deaths, for total of 94, three in Vancouver Coastal Health and one in Fraser Health.

Dr. Henry said B.C. needs to have a “manageable” number of new cases before relaxing the restrictions.

“That doesn’t mean we have to have no cases everyday for a number of weeks. We need to have a manageable number that we can identify quickly, that we know people who are getting sick, are getting tested, that we can manage the isolation of contacts, so people that have been exposed, if and when they become sick, get the care they need, but also do not pass it on to others. And we need to manage these clusters and outbreaks that we’re finding in our communities,” said Henry.

B.C.’s latest Covid-19 update:

New cases: 29

Total cases: 1,824

Cases by health region:

755 Vancouver Coastal

760 Fraser Health

111 Vancouver Island

156 Interior Health (increase of 3)

42 Northern Health

There is one new long term care facility outbreak at Hawthorn Park-Orchard Manor in Kelowna with one case.

Ten outbreaks at long term care homes have now been declared over with no new cases for two incubation periods.

There is a new community outbreak Superior Poultry Plant in Coquitlam with two cases, a sister plant to the United Poultry Plant earlier this week with 29 people identified with Covid-19.

There are now 78 cases with inmates and staff at the federal prison in Mission.

103 people are in hospital with 44 in critical or ICU care

There are four new deaths, for total of 94, three in Vancouver Coastal and one in Fraser Health.

1,092 people have fully recovered.

by Pete McIntyre

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