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
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.