COVID outbreak declared at Victoria care home; new cases at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a long-term care home in Victoria, while two additional cases have been identified at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Two houses at Mount St. Mary, a not-for-profit long-term care home owned and operated by the Marie Esther Society, are affected, Island Health said. One resident and one staff member have tested positive.

The staff member who tested positive is isolating at home.

Island Health said enhanced control measures are in place and it is working to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the virus. Admissions and visitors to the two houses have been restricted, and staff and residents are being screened for the virus twice a day.

Two additional people — a patient and a staff member — have tested positive for COVID19 at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where an outbreak was declared on April 14. All of the cases are in the High Intensity Rehab Unit.

Six patients and one staff member have tested positive to date, the health authority said.

All outpatient services and scheduled procedures continue as normal.

British Columbia reported 862 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and seven more deaths, for a total of 1,546 fatalities since the pandemic started.

Twenty-five of the new cases were in the Island Health region.

A joint statement from the health minister and provincial health officer said more than 1.4 million doses of the vaccine have been administered.

As of noon today, people age 25 and older are eligible to register for the vaccine in the agebased vaccination program.

For more information, go to gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated.