Tabor Home in Abbotsford has recorded another three COVID-19 deaths in the last few days, placing it on par with what has been B.C.’s deadliest outbreak at a long-term care home.
The Abbotsford facility has had 24 deaths as of Monday (Dec. 7). The virus also claimed 24 lives at Langley Lodge in the spring, but one of the patients who survived the virus later succumbed to advanced dementia and was recorded as an “indirect” COVID death there.
Tabor Home is the site of the province’s largest outbreak in a long-term care home, with a total of 151 cases (92 residents and 59 staff) since Nov. 4. There are currently 41 active cases (27 residents and 14 staff).
Langley Lodge had 51 cases among residents, while the site of another care-home outbreak – at Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver – resulted in 78 cases and 20 deaths, also in the spring.
On Monday of this week, Tabor Home held a series of virtual town hall meetings for family members. Dan Levitt, executive director of Tabor Village (which owns and operates Tabor Home), said in an email update to families that the meetings were being held “in an effort to further our transparency, openness and continually improve our communication.”
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He said the meetings were being held to allow families to ask questions and express concerns. A family member who attended one of the meetings said the session went “very well.”
Meanwhile, the outbreak also continues at a second care home in Abbotsford.
As of the weekend, Menno Home had 42 positive cases (26 residents and 16 staff) and one death.
The facility posted a request on Nov. 28 for family members to apply as paid “temporary relief workers” at the facility in the areas of housekeeping, food services and laundry to help fill staff shortages.
A posting on the website of Menno Place (of which Menno Home is a part) on Dec. 3 indicated that 50 families have so far applied, and the first two began working that day.
Fraser Health announced on Friday that it has appointed administrators to “provide oversight of COVID-19 response” at Tabor Home and Menno Home.
The agency said the decision was “made collaboratively to further support each facility’s leadership and staff.”
Fraser Health previously took that step in just one other outbreak – at Langley Lodge. In that case, a “director of pandemic response” was appointed.
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