Six cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) employees.
Interior Health (IH) said in a statement that their investigation indicates the six cases are connected to the cluster of cases in Kelowna from Canada Day.
At this time, there are no impacts on KGH’s services and IH has said there is no indication that any patients have been exposed to the virus.
“As per IH protocols and Ministry of Health recommendations, staff experiencing symptoms must stay home from work. We are confident that individuals impacted by this current situation are following this direction,” IH said in a release.
IH added KGH is still safe for patients to come to.
“As we continue to see an increase in cases related to social events and businesses in downtown Kelowna, our health team is asking everyone to work together as a community to stop the transmission fo COVID-19.”
“The cases that have been identified recently are generally in a younger demographic of individuals in their 20s and 30s.”
The health authority added if the increase in cases continues, there is a risk that it may spread to Kelowna’s vulnerable, including the elderly or immunocompromised residents.
IH is asking residents to make flattening the curve in Kelowna a priority. To do that, the health authority is reminding people to do the following:
- Stay home and get tested if you are sick
- Maintain physical distancing of greater than two metres
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Wear a mask when physical distancing cannot be maintained
- Limit gatherings to small groups and hold them outside
- Keep gatherings to people you know and keep track of who attends
- Limit gathering size in private residences to six people
Interior Health will provide another update the Kelowna cluster of cases on Monday, July 20.
READ: 35 COVID-19 infections linked to Kelowna parties around Canada Day
