3 COVID-19 outbreaks over, 5 more declared on Vancouver Island, health authority says
Three COVID-19 outbreaks in health-care facilities on Vancouver Island are now over, but five new ones have been declared, Island Health says.
The new outbreaks are at Selkirk Seniors Village Assisted Living, Luther Court long-term care home, The Heights at Mt. View long-term care home, James Bay long-term care home and Royal Jubilee Hospital, all located in Victoria.
The health authority says in a news release that one resident at Selkirk Seniors Village Assisted Living has tested positive for COVID-19. The outbreak is limited to the facility's sixth floor, and is not related to another ongoing outbreak in the long-term care portion of Selkirk Seniors Village.
At Luther Court, three staff cases and two resident cases have been detected in the care home's 2 East unit, Island Health says.
The Heights at Mt. View has seen one staff case and one resident case on the fourth floor, and James Bay long-term care home has seen three resident cases confirmed on its fifth and six floors.
At Royal Jubilee Hospital, three patients on the 8 South East general medicine unit have tested positive, according to the health authority. No other areas of the hospital are affected.
Each site has been closed to admissions and transfers, and other outbreak protocols - including limits on staff movement and an end to congregate dining and group activities - have been implemented, Island Health says.
Three other outbreaks on the island are now over, according to Island Health. Eden Gardens in Nanaimo saw a total of four residents test positive during its outbreak, Kiwanis Village Lodge in Nanaimo saw just one, and Amica Douglas House in Victoria saw four staff cases.
"Staff at all of these homes are to be commended for their excellent work delivering high quality, compassionate care under challenging circumstances," the health authority says in its news release.
B.C. has seen a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 outbreaks at health-care facilities in recent weeks. As recently as Dec. 22, there were no active outbreaks in the province.
By Friday, there were 46 active outbreaks, including 11 on Vancouver Island. Included in the Island Health total were the three outbreaks that have now ended, plus the newly declared Royal Jubilee outbreak.
The other four new outbreaks bring Vancouver Island's total to at least 12.
Hundreds of residents and staff members at long-term care homes have tested positive during the latest, Omicron-variant-driven surge in COVID-19 outbreaks. As of the latest update from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control this week, however, only seven deaths had been connected to the latest outbreaks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.