VANCOUVER -- The novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 has been confirmed at another care home in Metro Vancouver.

Fraser Health announced Saturday that a staff member at Delta View Care Centre in Delta has tested positive for the virus.

The announcement comes just one day after Fraser Health made public an outbreak at another care centre in its jurisdiction. On Friday, the health agency confirmed a care worker at Dufferin Care Centre in Coquitlam had tested positive for COVID-19.

The virus has now been recorded at five seniors' care homes in Metro Vancouver. The other three are located in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. They are Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, Hollyburn House in West Vancouver and Haro Park Centre in Vancouver.

Lynn Valley's outbreak has been most severe, so far. Nine of the 10 deaths caused by COVID-19 in B.C. have occurred among residents at Lynn Valley Care Centre.

Fraser Health said Saturday it has put "comprehensive control measures" in place at Delta View, including directing long-term care staff currently working at the facility not to work at any other such facilities.

The agency said it is also implementing several measure in partnership with the Ministry of Health, including:

  • Suspending inter-facility transfers, except in circumstances of "intolerable risk"
  • Prioritizing admissions to long-term care from acute care over those from the community, where possible
  • Temporarily suspending all health-authority-operated adult day programs

Fraser Health will also issue a public health order to all licenced long-term care facilities in its jurisdiction that includes the following measures:

  • Restricting visitors to only "essential visits" through single, controlled entrance points where a screening person is present
  • Screening all visitors, including contractors, before allowing them to enter a facility
  • Screening all staff and residents twice daily for symptoms
  • Prohibiting symptomatic staff and essential visitors from entering the facility
  • Immediately isolating and testing all symptomatic residents
  • Training all staff and residents on infection control guidelines and adhering to the guidelines
  • Ceasing group activities in the facility and community
  • Performing enhanced cleaning twice a day
  • Maximizing separation of residents while dining
  • Requiring facilities to prepare staffing plans to ensure ongoing patient care
  • Requiring all facilities to submit an implementation plan that prohibits long-term care staff and volunteers (with the exception of physicians, paramedics and laboratory technicians) from working at more than one health care facility
  • Requiring facilities to "proactively plan and prepare for adequate supplies"

"Fraser Health will be actively monitoring compliance of this public health order by having on-site presence across all of our long-term care facilities," the agency said.