VANCOUVER -- More than a dozen residents have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at a long-term care facility in Vancouver where an outbreak was declared just last week.
According to a letter sent out to families on Monday afternoon, four staff members and 14 residents at Holy Family Hospital have now been infected.
The facility has been placed on outbreak protocols, which means movements throughout the facility are being restricted, staff and residents are being screened for the virus regularly, and there is extra cleaning being done.
Diagnosed residents are also being placed in isolation, and no one is allowed visitors except "for compassionate reasons at the end of life."
"We recognize being away from your loved ones is an enormous burden on you," site leader Rae Johnson said in the letter to families. "I want to assure you that the protection of the residents at Holy Family Hospital remains our priority, and we remain committed to controlling and mitigating the impact of this outbreak."
B.C. health officials announced the outbreak at the facility last week, and only four residents and one staff member had tested positive as of Thursday.
Holy Family Hospital operates a 126-person long-term care facility and a 65-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit. So far, no COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the rehab unit.
