18 cases associated with COVID-19 outbreak at Saanich jail, Island Health says

The Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre on May 3, 2019. (CTV Vancouver Island)

Vancouver -

A total of 18 cases of COVID-19 are associated with an outbreak of the disease at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre in Saanich, according to Island Health, but that total may not reflect the number of people who have tested positive at the facility in recent weeks.

B.C.'s Ministry of Health announced the outbreak last week, but did not say how many infections were associated with it.

Over the weekend, a spokesperson for Island Health told CTV News Vancouver Island that there had been "some cases associated with the facility" over the preceding weeks, but that the outbreak had been declared because officials had found evidence of transmission at the jail.

At the time, authorities were still working to determine how many cases were associated with the outbreak itself.

On Monday, the health authority told CTV News 18 people, all of them in custody, had tested positive during the outbreak. Island Health confirmed on Wednesday that this number had not changed.

In the meantime, a person with a connection to the facility reached out to CTV News to express concern that the health authority is undercounting the infections, alleging that there have been significantly more cases at the jail than publicly acknowledged by Island Health.

The union that represents workers at the facility has also "heard anecdotally" that the number of confirmed cases at VIRCC is higher than the published total, according to a statement provided to CTV News.

"Our union does not have data on the size or scope of the current outbreak beyond what has been reported by authorities," said Stephanie Smith, president of the BC General Employees' Union, in the statement.

"We have heard anecdotally that the number of confirmed cases at VIRCC is higher than what has been publicly released. We will continue to work with the employer to make sure our members’ concerns are heard and addressed."

Asked about the alleged additional cases, a spokesperson for Island Health told CTV News the health authority would only confirm cases associated with the outbreak, and that there are only 18 such cases.

It's possible that additional people associated with the prison have tested positive for COVID-19, but health officials do not believe they contracted the disease at the facility. In such a circumstance, Island Health's policy would be not to share the number of cases that have been confirmed but are not believed to be related to the outbreak.

Smith said BCGEU members at VIRCC and other correctional facilities across the province have advocated for enhanced safety protocols since the start of the pandemic.

"The situation currently unfolding at VIRCC stands as a concerning example of why those protocols are necessary," she said.