Outbreak declared at B.C. long-term care facility as visitation rules relaxed
Health officials have declared a COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care home in Maple Ridge, B.C., after three residents tested positive for the disease.
The declaration of an outbreak at Holyrood Manor on Monday afternoon happened to come hours after the government relaxed visitation rules at care homes across the province.
Given the circumstances, families with loved ones at Holyrood will not be able to take advantage of those eased restrictions for the time being. Fraser Health said visitors are temporarily banned throughout the facility.
"Fraser Health is also working with the site to identify anyone who may have been exposed, and is taking steps to protect the health of all staff," the health authority said in a news release.
Those steps include implementing enhanced infection control measures and screening residents and staff for COVID-19 twice per day, Fraser Health said.
It's been more than a week since B.C. has had an outbreak in a long-term care home or assisted living facility – progress that health officials have credited to widespread vaccination, including among the elderly residents who are much more vulnerable to severe infection.
The last outbreak in long-term care – at the Rotary Manor in Dawson Creek – was declared over on July 8. One of the two residents who caught the disease died, according to Northern Health.
The ongoing threat of COVID-19 has left some families anxious to know whether care home employees are vaccinated as well.
Earlier this month, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the government would not be making vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for workers in care settings, opting instead to force those employees to continue wearing masks and adhering to other prevention measures such as regular testing.
Henry also said she would be issuing a new public health order requiring care homes to provide the names and personal health numbers of all staff and volunteers, which will be used to determine vaccination rates at each facility and assess outbreak risks.
It's unclear whether any of that information will be made publicly available.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.