Coronavirus: 11 more cases at Big White, outbreak declared at Kamloops hospital

The Big White community cluster grew another 11 cases, Interior Health announced on Friday.

The extra cases pushed the overall total to 214 since the cluster at the ski resort near Kelowna was first announced in mid-December.

Of the 11 new cases, seven are said to reside or work at Big White.

Of the 214 overall cases linked to the cluster, 137 reside or work at Big White.

There are also 45 active cases, and the next update regarding Big White will be Tuesday, Jan. 26.

In related news, Interior Health also declared an outbreak at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

“As of Friday morning, six patients and two staff members have tested positive for COVID-19,” said Interior Health. “Patients with COVID-19 from this unit have been relocated to the COVID unit.”

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According to the health agency, the outbreak happened in 6 South, a surgical unit.

Interior Health said surgeries will continue at Royal Inland Hospital, but that they will take place on another floor, with 6 South being closed until further notice.

“Our staff and physicians have worked hard to keep COVID-19 out of the hospital, which was no simple feat considering the number of communities served by RIH,” said medical health officer Dr. Carol Fenton.

“Now we will work together to quickly contain this outbreak and support the staff and patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.”

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Interior Health also reported two new long-term care-home deaths on Friday, one at Sunnybank in Oliver, the other at Heritage Square in Vernon.

“We are sad to report two additional deaths related to COVID-19 of people who lived in long-term care homes in our region,” said Interior Health president and CEO Susan Brown.

“On behalf of Interior Health, I offer our condolences to the families and caregivers. With news of the provincial mass vaccination plan shared today, we have hope and we can look forward to the fall. But in the meantime, right now, it’s more important than ever to continue following the precautions and use our layers of protection.”

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Below are the updated outbreak numbers for long-term care homes in the Okanagan.

• Sunnybank long-term care in Oliver: 35 cases (26 residents, 9 staff) with three deaths connected to this outbreak.
• Creekside Landing long-term care in Vernon: 35 cases (20 residents, 15 staff) with one death connected to this outbreak.
• Heritage Square long-term care in Vernon: 68 cases (47 residents, 21 staff) with eight deaths connected to this outbreak.
• Noric House long-term care in Vernon: 56 cases (34 residents, 22 staff) with five deaths connected to this outbreak.
• Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna: 46 cases (41 residents, 5 staff) with three deaths connected to this outbreak.

To view the B.C. CDC’s daily online dashboard regarding COVID-19 data, click here.