COVID-19 outbreak declared at hospital in B.C. region dealing with surge of cases
A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a hospital in Northern B.C., which has been dealing with a surge in cases, overwhelmed health care and new restrictions.
Northern Health issued a statement Friday saying four people – two patients and two staff – tested positive for the disease at an in-patient unit in Quesnel's GR Baker Memorial Hospital.
"Monitoring and testing is underway to identify any additional cases," Northern Health's statement said.
News of the outbreak comes the day new restrictions for the health authority are in effect. B.C.'s top doctor announced the additional measures Thursday as the region has seen a spike in cases and high transmission.
"We are intending this circuit breaker to save lives, to lower the rates of transmission to allow our hospitalizations to stabilize and enable us all to come back together safely and to celebrate during the upcoming holiday season," Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
Among the new restrictions – which apply only to local health areas in the province's northeast – are the closure of bars and nightclubs, restrictions on alcohol sales at restaurants and a ban on in-person religious services.
There are also new restrictions on gatherings, including a ban on all private gatherings involving unvaccinated people.
Infection rates have been so high in Northern Health that local hospitals have been overwhelmed. So far 58 patients have been transferred to hospitals in other health authorities. The region only has 63 intensive-care beds, 23 of which have been temporarily added during the pandemic.
In announcing the outbreak at the Quesnel hospital, Northern Health said enhanced outbreak control measures are now in place at the facility. Those measures include increased cleaning and symptom monitoring. As well, only essential visitors are permitted and staff movement is being limited.
"Public health officials will be monitoring the situation carefully over coming weeks and will only declare the outbreak over when they are confident that chains of transmission have been stopped," Northern Health's statement said.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday and Tessa Vikander
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'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.
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.
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.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.