Interior Health has declared an outbreak at Orchard Manor after one staff member tested positive for COVID-19. No residents have tested positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms at this time. The outbreak is contained to Orchard Manor, which provides long-term care services. Orchard Manor is connected by a common building to Hawthorn Park, which provides independent and assisted living services. The entire facility includes 161 beds, none of which are health authority funded.

Image Credit: HAWTHORN PARK

An outbreak at a Kelowna long term care home has been declared after one staff member tested positive for COVID-19. No residents have tested positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms at this time.

Interior Health said the outbreak is contained to Orchard Manor, which provides long-term care services. Orchard Manor is connected by a common building to Hawthorn Park, which provides independent and assisted living services. The entire facility includes 161 beds, none of which are health authority funded.

Interior Health and the operator, Verve Senior Living, will continue to monitor the situation while implementing additional infection control and preventive measures. To protect the safety of all residents, outbreak protocols have been implemented including a temporary stop to visits at Orchard Manor.

Public health is directly contacting anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19 to ensure they are also taking appropriate precautions (self-isolation or monitoring) as required.

To date, no long-term care residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at any homes in IH.

Data from the CDC at the end of October shows 124 cases over two weeks in the Interior Health region as a whole. That jumped to 308 for the two weeks ending Nov. 19.

In the Kootenay subregions, 10 cases were reported until Oct. 29 and seven on Nov. 6. That jumped to 49 this week.

The Okanagan went steadily up from 90 to 225 over the same time period.

Only the Thompson/Cariboo/Shuswap showed some moderation, climbing to 40 cases from 24 then dropping off to 34 this week.

The Northern Health region grew from 54 to 116 over the last four weeks while the normally quiet Vancouver Island Health region went from 15 to 143.
 

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