The emergency room departments at Surrey Memorial and Chilliwack General Hospitals remain open but COVID-19 outbreaks were declared in a medicine unit at each site.
One patient at Surrey Memorial and five patients at Chilliwack General tested positive.
“The outbreaks are limited to one unit at each hospital. The units are temporarily closed to admissions,” according to the Fraser Health release issued late Sunday (Feb. 28) afternoon.
Enhanced cleaning as well as contact tracing to protect the health of all staff, medical staff, and patients was underway.
“The emergency departments at Surrey Memorial Hospital and Chilliwack General Hospital remain open.
“Fraser Health has notified all patients on the affected units about the outbreaks, and in addition, has informed the families of patients who are unable to share this information.”
The variants are showing up in local schools. Following investigation and additional testing at schools after COVID-19 variants of concern were initially identified at École Woodward Hill and Surrey Traditional Elementary School, one individual from Woodward Hill in Surrey and two from Surrey Traditional tested positive for a variant of concern.
One class at Woodward Hill is already isolating and will remain in isolation until March 4, and two classes at Surrey Traditional will self-isolate until March 4. Both schools remain open.
“Mass testing of affected classrooms was also initiated at James Ardiel Elementary and Tamanawis Secondary in response to a variant exposure, and no new cases were identified at either of these schools. No positive cases were found in any additional testing of school-related close contacts of variants of concern.”
All close contacts of these cases have been self-isolating and will remain in isolation. Case and contact management is ongoing.
“As these are variants that are new to our communities and more easily transmissible, Fraser Health is working to identify any further connected variant cases to ensure immediate isolation and case management to prevent ongoing transmission.”
The variant strains can transmit more easily but do not interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines, nor affect health officials’ ability to test for it.
The outbreak is over at George Derby Centre in Burnaby after multi-pronged strategies employed to prevent and respond to COVID-19 in care facilities, there are no longer any COVID-19 cases at this location.
For more see fraserhealth.ca/covid19.
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