COVID-19 outbreaks declared at Victoria, Nanaimo hospitals
Vancouver Island's health authority has declared three new COVID-19 outbreaks, including two outbreaks at hospitals in Nanaimo and Victoria.
Islands Health says nine cases have now been linked to an outbreak at Victoria General Hospital.
The outbreak was identified in a pair of neuromedicine units (6A and 6B) and is believed to be confined to those areas.
"VGH remains a safe place to attend and people should not avoid seeking emergency care, should they need it," Island Health said in a statement Tuesday night.
Nanaimo Regional General Hospital is also in the midst of an outbreak, with five cases identified at the hospital. The outbreak is limited to the fifth floor.
Island Health says those who need emergency care should not avoid the Nanaimo hospital due to the outbreak.
A second new outbreak in Nanaimo has been identified at the Nanaimo Seniors Village assisted-living centre.
Two COVID-19 cases have been identified in residents. Island Health says the long-term care portion of the facility has not been affected.
The case numbers reported in all three outbreaks have been confirmed through testing or through contact tracing, Island Health said.
OUTBREAKS DECLARED OVER
Three other COVID-19 outbreaks on Vancouver Island are now considered over.
Island Health says the outbreak at Luther Court long-term care home in Victoria resulted in three resident cases and four staff cases before it was contained.
An outbreak at the Sidney All Care long-term care home in Sidney resulted in one resident case, while a nearby outbreak at the Sidney Care Home long-term care home also resulted in a single case. Both outbreaks are now considered over.
"Staff at these sites are to be commended for their excellent work delivering high quality, compassionate care under challenging circumstances," Island Health said. "Outbreak protocols will now be ended at the sites. Enhanced infection prevention and control measures and monitoring of staff and residents for symptoms will continue."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.