COVID-19 outbreak confirmed at Abbotsford Regional Hospital

An outbreak of eight cases of COVID-19 has been confirmed at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital.

Fraser Health says two patients and six staff members have been diagnosed with the disease. Fraser Health is not disclosing what unit is affected.

Chief medical health officer Dr. Martin Lavoie says the first cases were detected last week, but contact tracing only determined they were connected on Thursday.

All affected staff have been sent home to self-isolate, access to the unit is being restricted and staff are being given enhanced protective equipment.

“We also enhance cleaning, so that’s done now twice a day to remove any viral particles and disinfect so that there is no transmission from surfaces and objects,” said Lavoie.

“We declutter to limit the number of objects and things that could be contaminated. We also do symptom checks.”

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The source of the initial infection remains under investigation, but Lavoie said it is not connected to prisoners from the Mission Institution who were being treated at the facility.

Lavoie added that area residents should not be afraid to go to the hospital if they need treatment.

“This is like we said, located in one unit. And so the rest of the facility is safe to use for sure,” he said.

“I think that one of the messages that this suggests is that COVID-19 is not gone and we have to be careful.

“We have to take it slowly. We have to continue to follow all the measures and the recommendations that have been mentioned before because it is still out there.”