Two long-care homes in midst of outbreaks

We may be done with COVID-19, but the virus isn’t done with us yet.

Two local long-term care homes are in the midst of outbreaks with more than 60 cases between them, while Penticton as of last week had one of the highest per-capita rates of new cases anywhere in B.C.

The outbreak in the north wing of Westview Place was declared April 12 and had generated 36 resident cases as of Tuesday, according to Interior Health.

The outbreak in the Lower Bartlett, Lower Apple and Lower Cherry units of Haven Hill Retirement Centre was declared April 19 and infected 27 residents as of Tuesday.

No deaths have been associated with either outbreak, according to Interior Health.

Outbreaks are declared at the discretion of a medical health officer based on a variety of factors, such as case counts, illness severity and vaccination coverage, explained Interior Health in a statement.

“After an outbreak is declared, the facility leadership and health authority long-term care program and infection protection and control teams work together to implement outbreak control measures.”

Meanwhile, the most recent data on new cases released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control showed Penticton as a hotspot for COVID-19.

For the week of April 10-16, there were 102 new cases reported in Penticton, making it one of just two parts of the province where case rates exceeded 20 per 100,000 population.

Summerland saw 13 new cases, while Oliver-Osoyoos recorded 22 over that same period.

However, the BCCDC cautions that new case counts are under-estimated because they only include results of lab tests, not rapid tests people do at home.