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.