Photo: Google Maps
Finally, some good news in the southern interior about COVID-19.
During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Interior Health’s chief physician, Dr. Albert de Villiers, stated that no patients with symptoms of the virus remained in the intensive care unit.
All four patients identified on Tuesday had been discharged from intensive care at some point Tuesday evening or earlier on Wednesday.
There are still 18 patients being treated in the hospital.
Dr. de Villiers says 66 new COVID-19 cases have been identified in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 1,899 since the pandemic was declared.
There are currently 570 active cases of people self-isolating at home and only three deaths from the virus.
He says the outbreak, which was reported Monday at Mountainview Village Nursing Home in Kelowna, was still restricted to a resident and employee, while another outbreak at Orchard Manor that affected only a single employee has been declared over has been.
One outbreak on the new tower construction site of the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops has now grown to 13 cases.
In the meantime, Dr. de Villiers started working in nursing homes in the IH region.
While large numbers of deaths from the virus have been reported in long-term care homes across the province, the Mountainview Village outbreak was the first to involve an IH resident since the pandemic began.
“That means that we’re doing something right or that the long-term care facilities are doing something right,” he says.
“We make sure that person is isolated and that the employee is not currently working. We make sure that we test everyone else in their area who has had contact to make sure they are not sick.”
The facility also strengthens cleaning procedures and ensures that visitor restrictions are well enforced.
“It looks like we have this situation under control, but it started recently. As we know, it can take up to two weeks for the virus to straighten its head.”
“We want to make sure we stay vigilant until we can declare it over.”
