Fraser Health provides updates on outbreaks in long term care facilities; provides update on Burnaby Hospital

Long term care:

Fraser Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak over at Agassiz Seniors Community, a long term care facility that is owned and operated by Park Place Seniors Living.

With the implementation of comprehensive strategies to prevent and respond to COVID-19 in care facilities, there are no longer any COVID-19 cases at this location. 

Two staff members at Valleyhaven Care Home have tested positive for COVID-19. Valleyhaven Care Home is a long term care facility in Chilliwack that is owned and operated by Kaigo Senior Living Group. A Fraser Health rapid response team is at the site and communication with residents and families is underway. The two staff members are currently in self-isolation at their homes.

Enhanced control measures have been put in place at the site. Fraser Health is working with staff to identify anyone who may have been exposed and is taking steps to protect the health of all staff, residents and families.

Fraser Health has proactively implemented the following at the site:

• Staffing levels will be maintained to provide resident care.
• Visitors are restricted throughout the facility.
• Staff and residents movement in the facility has been restricted.
• Cleaning and infection control measures have been enhanced.
• Residents, families and staff are being notified.
• Twice a day screening of all staff and residents. 

During this time, Fraser Health has additional presence at the site to take any further actions required and support the facility. This includes dedicated people to address quality, answer questions from staff, residents and family, and provide active checks of symptoms with staff and residents.

Fraser Health has implemented comprehensive strategies to prevent and respond to COVID-19 in long term care, assisted living and independent living facilities. In addition, Fraser Health has also deployed more than 480 people including care staff and our rapid-response teams which include clinical nurse educators, infection prevention and control experts, screeners, and patient care quality officers supporting with communication to families and assessing symptoms at sites with outbreaks. Through these teams, sites are also connected with emergency supplies and additional personnel if needed.

Burnaby Hospital:

A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at Burnaby Hospital on November 9 after evidence of transmission in a medicine unit. Upon declaring the outbreak, Fraser Health immediately implemented precautions, including enhanced cleaning, as well as contact tracing.

There are currently 55 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 at Burnaby Hospital. There have been five deaths. There are also 40 staff cases that are under investigation to determine if they are connected to the outbreak. Our sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.

We continue to monitor the outbreak closely and do everything we can to support patients and staff through this outbreak. Enhanced infection control measures have been implemented in each of these units and throughout the hospital. For instance, physical distancing measures are in place in the cafeteria to ensure staff are safely apart, our staff break rooms have limits on how many people can be there at one time, and people are encouraged to maintain physical distancing in elevators.

All patients, staff, support staff and medical staff are tested for COVID-19. As a precaution, the hospital is not accepting new admissions at this time, with the exception of the intensive care unit (ICU), maternity, and community palliative care. Patients who require hospital admissions in other areas are admitted to neighbouring hospitals. We expect to open to emergency admissions in the coming days.

Following the fire at Burnaby Hospital on November 15, the emergency department remains fully operational. An RCMP investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. The remediation process in underway and ongoing. Some areas that were impacted have been reopened. At the time of the fire, the immediate safety of our patients was our priority, which meant that some were moved to areas of the hospital they normally would not be placed in a short period of time. As a result, the fire is considered to be a contributing factor to the outbreak.

We want to thank Burnaby Hospital staff, medical staff, and support staff for their dedication and commitment to taking care of patients during this challenging time. We also want the patients and staff who are recovering from COVID-19 to know they are in our thoughts.

At this time, it is critically important for people living in the Fraser Health region to use the COVID-19 assessment tool and get tested as soon as you have COVID-19-like symptoms, even mild ones. Please don’t wait, and book or drop by one of our collection centres which are operated in partnership with local Divisions of Family Practice. People living in the Fraser Health region can find information about test collection centres by visiting Fraser Health’s website. 

To book a COVID-19 testing appointment, complete a COVID-19 test booking form. 

For more information about COVID-19, please visit fraserhealth.ca/covid19.