Two cases of the novel coronavirus have been detected at the Mountainview Village care home in Kelowna, B.C., including one resident.
The unfortunate milestone marks the first time a senior living at a care home in the Interior Health region has come down with COVID-19.
“This is the first episode of transmission within a facility in the Interior region,” said Dr. Silvina Mema, medical health officer with the Interior Health Authority (IHA). ‘So in the 10 months that we have had the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not seen an incident of transmission with a long-term care facility and that has happened now and it’s unfortunate.”
All other care home outbreaks in the B.C. Southern Interior have been linked to staff members.
The Good Samaritan Society (GSS), which operates the care home, posted the update on its website Monday.
GSS is working closely with IHA on outbreak protocols.
“I think that we’ve seen that COVID is tricky. It’s difficult to understand or actually manage how it spreads, so of course are always concerned that there’s going to be spread,” said GSS president and CEO Katherine Chubbs. “We know there’s spread in this type of living environment.”
Interior Health said the outbreak applies to both east and west units on the second floor.
“Staff members in close contact with these individuals are in self-isolation and monitoring for symptoms,” the health authority said in a release.
The second floor of the long-term care facility is home to 50 residents, many of whom are now getting tested to determine if anyone else has been infected.
“We don’t know the source,” Mema said. “There is a possibility that there could have been a visitor or another resident implicated and that’s why we are doing all of this testing in the facility, to understand a bit more if there are any more residents affected by the disease.”
The facility includes 81 independent living apartments, 89 assisted living suites, and 90 complex care units.
There is a temporary pause in visits to all residents on the second floor and there has been an immediate suspension of all non-essential services. ‘
There is also minimal contact between residents and residents and staff.
“They’re more isolated into the room,” said Chubbs. “At any time the employees encounter them, they wear personal protective equipment to make sure that they don’t spread the virus to any residents on that unit.”
Social visits are still permitted on the first floor.
A COVID-19 outbreak and related protocols also remain in effect at Orchard Manor in Kelowna, according to Interior Health’s website.
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