3 more outbreaks at B.C. care homes as province rolls out COVID-19 booster shots
Three new outbreaks of COVID-19 have been declared at care homes in the Lower Mainland this weekend.
On Saturday, Vancouver Coastal Health announced that two residents of Amica Lions Gate in West Vancouver had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The private care facility is owned and operated by Amica Senior Lifestyles, but the health authority is assisting with its outbreak response.
Then, on Sunday, Fraser Health announced new outbreaks at Heritage Village in Chilliwack and Queen's Park Care Centre in New Westminster.
Both facilities are owned and operated by Fraser Health.
One resident and one staff member at Heritage Village and two residents at Queen's Park have tested positive.
All three care homes are now closed to admissions, and enhanced infection control measures have been put in place at each location.
This is the first time an outbreak has been declared at Amica Lions Gate.
Heritage Village saw a COVID-19 outbreak declared on Aug. 17 of this year. It ended a few weeks later on Sept. 4. According to data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, five people tested positive during that outbreak, four of them staff members. No deaths were associated with the outbreak.
Queen's Park Care Centre is now on its third outbreak of the pandemic, having seen a single staff member test positive in October 2020 during its first and 14 cases - 10 residents and four staff - during its second outbreak in November of that year. Four residents died during the second outbreak, according to the BCCDC.
The latest outbreaks bring B.C.'s total to at least 22. There were 19 ongoing outbreaks in the province's health-care system as of Friday.
The outbreaks come as B.C. rolls out booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines for care home residents, and as the death toll from a major outbreak in Burnaby increases.
As of last week, 90 people associated with Willingdon Care Centre - 69 residents and 21 staff members - had tested positive.
On Thursday, Health Minister Adrian Dix called the outbreak the "most significant" in the province, and noted that at least 10 deaths had been recorded.
"That's a significant tragedy at the Willingdon Care Centre and for everyone involved there," Dix said. "What that tells us is all the steps that (provincial health officer) Dr. (Bonnie) Henry has described are needed to continue to protect long-term care."
Those steps, according to Henry, include booster shots for residents, vaccine mandates for staff and visitors, and non-immunization precautions such as masks, distancing and avoiding large gatherings in close proximity with others.
Willingdon Care Centre has 95 beds, according to the Fraser Health website, meaning more than 70 per cent of residents are infected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.