COVID-19 outbreak: 97 inmates test positive at prison in B.C.'s Fraser Valley

Dozens of inmates at a federal prison in B.C.'s Fraser Valley have tested positive for COVID-19 as officials work to contain a new outbreak at the facility.

The Correctional Service of Canada announced the "evolving situation" at Mission Institution on Wednesday, and said staff and inmates are being provided with personal protective equipment to help limit the spread of the virus.

Staff members are being offered gowns, gloves, masks, respirators and face shields, while inmates are being given masks, officials said.

"The health and safety of our employees, inmates, and the public continue to be our top priority. We are closely monitoring the situation," the CSC said in a news release.

So far, 97 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, though officials said that number could change as more laboratory-confirmed results are received.

Mission Institution suffered one of the earliest and largest COVID-19 outbreaks across the country's correctional system early in the pandemic, during which at least one-third of the facility’s inmates were infected.

At the time, the response from the Correctional Service of Canada to contain the spread was criticized by the employees' union.

Officials noted that the government has been offering COVID-19 vaccines to inmates since January 2021, including booster doses.

The CSC said increased infection prevention and control measures are currently in place, and that everyone entering Mission Institution is being screened for symptoms. Regularly scheduled visits could be impacted in the meantime, officials said.

Mission Institution contains a minimum-security facility with a capacity of 216 inmates and a medium-security facility with a capacity of 324 inmates.