The spread of the nursing home is slowing down
Photo: Darren Glove
The transmission of COVID-19 in indoor nursing homes is continuing to slow. Only one new nursing home resident has contracted the virus in the past 24 hours.
The only new residence case was at Vernon’s Noric House nursing home, bringing the total number of cases to 39 residents and 29 staff, although there are only 16 active cases left. Nine residents of the nursing home have died.
In the past 24 hours, two other Kamloops Westsyde Care Residence employees tested positive for the virus, with a total of nine employees, while Interior Health made it clear that a total of 10 residents of the nursing home tested positive. This outbreak was only reported on Monday and all 19 cases remain active.
By last Friday, all BC residents and staff were offered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, nursing home outbreaks have decreased across the province.
Five more cases related to the outbreak at the Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital were identified, affecting a total of 32 patients and 59 staff. One person linked to the outbreak died last month. 59 active cases remain in the hospital.
Case numbers at the Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake remained stable on Wednesday. So far, two patients and 12 employees have been infected. Only one case in the hospital remains active.
The other four inland nursing home outbreaks had no change in case numbers, and 65 active cases remained in all six outbreaks:
- Brocklehurst Gemstone in Kamloops – 17 residents and eight employees, one death; three active
- Sunnybank in Oliver – 27 residents and 10 employees, five deaths; 11 active
- Creekside Landing in Vernon – 25 residents and 15 employees, one death; eight active
- Noric House in Vernon – 39 residents and 29 employees, nine deaths; 16 active
- Vernon’s Heritage Square – 47 residents and 21 employees, nine deaths; eight active
- Westsyde Care Residence – 10 residents and nine employees, no deaths; 19 active
In the interior of the country, 275 residents of nursing homes and 144 employees were infected with the virus. To date, 49 nursing home residents have died from the virus, accounting for about 65 percent of the 75 COVID deaths in the area.
The deadliest nursing home outbreak in the area occurred at Oliver’s McKinney Place, where 17 residents died. This outbreak was declared on January 18.
