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16 new COVID-19 cases, one death, in Delta care facilities

Ministry releasing weekly report on long-term care, assisted and independent living facility cases
23925801_web1_200322-NDR-M-Delta-View-Care-Centre-Google-Street-View
Delta View Care Centre (Google Street View image)

There were 16 new COVID-19 cases in Delta care facilities over the past week, with one death.

That’s according to the latest weekly report on COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care, assisted living and independent living facilities by B.C.’s health ministry.

Last week, the province began reporting weekly updates on each care home, assisted living or independent living facility dealing with outbreaks of the novel coronavirus.

Daily reports are compiled in each health authority, along with hospitalization and intensive care statistics, before being compiled into a province-wide report for release to media. The new system has contracted and government labs send their daily results to the province and health authority managers at the same time.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said the weekly reports will detail all current outbreaks in care homes every Thursday, including the number of infected staff and residents as well as deaths per care facility.

RELATED: B.C. shifts reporting to get COVID-19 information out faster (Jan. 7, 2020)

The latest report, released on Thursday (Jan. 14) and accurate as of 10 a.m. on Jan. 13, lists outbreaks at four Delta facilities: one at Good Samaritan Delta View Care Centre, two separate outbreaks at KinVillage, and one at The Waterford.

Good Samaritan Delta View Care Centre has had a cumulative total of 65 cases — 26 residents and 39 staff — since the current outbreak began on Nov. 1. That’s an increase of one resident case over last week’s inaugural report. So far seven people have died, all of them residents at the East Delta long-term care facility.

The outbreak is the third at Good Samaritan Delta View Care Centre. Fraser Health previously declared an outbreak at the facility on March 21 after and staff member tested positive for the novel coronavirus. That outbreak was declared over a month later on April 22 and was limited to the one case.

More recently, the health authority declared an outbreak on Oct. 9, again after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. That outbreak was declared over on Oct. 23, and also limited to one case.

On Sunday, Jan. 9, three days after the first report was compiled, Fraser Health declared an outbreak at KinVillage West Court, the Tsawwassen facility’s long-term care building, after three staff members tested positive for COVID-19. This week’s report shows an increase to six cases over those four days, all of them staff.

Fraser Health says the outbreak is confined to the long-term care building and not connected to a concurrent outbreak in the South Court assisted living building. That outbreak which began on Jan. 3, is up to four cases total — all of them residents — an increase of one from the previous report. So far no one has died.

This is the second outbreak at the KinVillage assisted living facility. The first, which began Sept. 3 and ended Oct. 16, had a total of four cases — three residents and one staff member. One resident died.

The outbreak at The Waterford retirement residence in Tsawwassen, which began on Dec. 27, has had a total of 69 cases — 59 residents and 10 staff. That’s an increase of five resident cases and three staff cases from the previous report. As well, one resident died over the last week, marking the first outbreak-related fatality at the facility.

The report defines an outbreak as “one or more clients and/or staff of a long-term care facility/senior’s assisted living residence with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. The staff member(s) must have worked at the facility while symptomatic.

“In principle, an outbreak is considered over two full incubation periods after the last date of exposure, without any new cases. For COVID-19, two incubation periods equate to 28 days after the last date of exposure. The length of time to conclude an outbreak may be reduced or extended at the direction of the Medical Health Officer.”

RELATED: 629 new cases of COVID-19 in Delta in last month of 2020 (Jan. 8, 2021)



editor@northdeltareporter.com

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James Smith

About the Author: James Smith

James Smith is the founding editor of the North Delta Reporter.
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