COVID-19 outbreak at Victoria-area hospital

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a Victoria-area hospital.

Island Health says in a statement the outbreak was declared Thursday at the centre unit of Saanich Peninsula Hospital, with 15 patients infected and all experiencing mild illness.

The statement comes as new BC Centre for Disease Control data suggest a recent surge in COVID-19 activity in British Columbia appears to be waning, with hospital admissions, deaths and test positivity rates all down sharply.

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The CDC says there were 144 new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the week ending Nov. 4, fewer than half the 296 hospitalizations three weeks earlier.

However, there are ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at Abbotsford Regional and Chilliwack General hospitals in the Fraser Health region.

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Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix are scheduled to provide an update on B.C.’s respiratory illness season and COVID and flu immunization campaigns later today.

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