Outbreak of COVID-19 is seniors' facility's 6th on Surrey campus

The Elim Village retirement community in Surrey, B.C. is seen in this image from its website. (ElimVillage.com)

VANCOUVER -

Multiple residents of an assisted living facility have tested positive for COVID-19 in what is the Surrey campus's sixth outbreak.

Fraser Health notified the public Tuesday of an outbreak at The Emerald, a building in the Elim Village in Surrey's Fleetwood neighbourhood.

Three residents have tested positive, the health authority said. It did not say whether these residents were vaccinated, or if they've had the opportunity yet to get a third shot.

Residents of The Emerald, owned and operated by Elim Christian Care Society, are now in self-isolation in their own homes, Fraser Health said.

In response to the outbreak, staffing levels are being supported by the health authority and other measures including the restriction of social visits are in place. Public health officials are working to identify anyone who may have been exposed to those known to have the novel coronavirus, and an enhanced cleaning program is in place.

This is the sixth outbreak of COVID-19 at Elim Village, a multi-building complex located off 158th Street near 90th Avenue, Fraser Health has confirmed.

CTV News has reported on three outbreaks at another building at the site, The Harrison, all of which were reported in 2020. 

Prior to the latest outbreak, The Emerald dealt with another on Boxing Day. 

A third building, The Harrison West, was also the site of an outbreak last year.

A not-yet-updated page on the Elim Village website, which is dedicated to conveying its current outbreak status, states that the campus has "significant safety protocols in place," as it has throughout the pandemic.

Another page on the website suggests it was a single staff case in the early days of the pandemic that prompted its COVID-19 safety plan, which can be read online.