Interior Health's Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Albert de Villiers
Image Credit: Submitted/Interior Health
December 16, 2020 - 3:02 PM
With 91 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, there have now been 2,998 Interior Health residents who have tested positive for the disease.
There are now 843 active cases in the region with 28 people in hospital. Seven of those are in intensive care.
Those numbers were announced at a news briefing today, Dec. 16, by Interior Health’s chief medical health officer Dr. Albert de Villiers.
The death toll in the Interior Health region rose to eight after a death in the past 24 hours. A woman in her 90s died in the community and her death was not associated with an outbreak.
“Each loss is felt deeply in our communities and our condolences go out to the family, friends and caregivers," Interior Health president and CEO Susan Brown said in a media release. "As COVID-19 continues to spread, we are all feeling the impacts of this virus across our region. Each of us has a role to play in limiting the spread of COVID-19 as we fight this pandemic together.”
The McKinney Place Extended Care outbreak in Oliver has grown to 57 from 53 yesterday, which includes 16 staff and 41 residents. One person has died in that outbreak.
It’s an older facility where many people share four-bed wards. The residents have now been divided so those who have not tested positive are in separate rooms from those infected, Dr. de Villiers said.
Despite the large number of staff who tested positive there are plenty of workers available and no need to relocate any of the residents, he added.
READ MORE: More COVID-19 cases expected as testing continues at Big White
There has also been an outbreak declared at the Teck mine near Elkford where 27 people are affected but only 10 live in the Interior Health region.
The cluster of cases in Revelstoke has been contained at 70 cases.
A cluster of 60 people have tested positive in relation to Big White ski hill but testing clinics will return to the hill tomorrow and Friday.
— This story was updated at 4:51 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 to include new information from Interior Health.
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