Three seniors die from COVID in local homes

Three people at two seniors homes in the Okanagan have died from COVID-19, Interior Health reported on Friday.

Two deaths were reported at Heritage Square in Vernon and one at Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna.

Since the start of the pandemic, 38 people have died in the Interior Health region.

“This has been a week of celebration and heartbreak for many throughout the Interior. While staff and residents of longterm care are receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations, sadly three more people have succumbed to their illness, all in long-term care,” said IH CEO Susan Brown in a statement.

Heritage Square has 41 cases of COVID. Four people have died.

Heritage Retirement Residence has 42 cases with two deaths connected to the outbreak.

The Big White COVID-19 cluster has now grown to 143 cases. Seven more COVID-19 cases have been identified since Tuesday.

Currently, 22 cases are active at the ski resort east of Kelowna and 121 people have recovered.

The risk remains low for families and individuals visiting Big White Mountain who follow public health guidelines, Interior Health says.

Provincially, 617 new cases of COVID-19 were reported Friday by Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix in a joint statement.

B.C. now has had 56,632 cases since the pandemic began. “There are 6,118 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.

“There have been 18 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 988 deaths in British Columbia,” the statement said.

Eighty-one new cases have been reported in the Interior Health region.