UPDATE DEC. 31:
Two Vernon care homes experiencing outbreaks of the virus are showing varied results.
Noric House long-term care has remained steady with six cases of COVID-19: five residents and one staff.
Meanwhile cases at Heritage Square have jumped to 21: 13 residents and eight staff.
There have also been exposures at two other local care homes among staff members: The Hamlets and Creekside Living.
READ MORE: Fourth Vernon care home exposed to COVID-19
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ORIGINAL DEC. 30:
The outbreak has grown at one of Vernon’s long-term care homes.
Heritage Square is reporting nine new cases, up from 10 when the 27th Street facility first announced the outbreak Dec. 27.
READ MORE: Vernon care home sees COVID-19 outbreak
Heritage Square was the first care home to report an outbreak of the virus.
Since then, cases have been identified in two other homes: Noric House and The Hamlets.
All individuals in close contact with those infected are in self-isolation and monitoring for symptoms. Families of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been contacted directly.
Interior Health and the operator will continue to monitor the situation while implementing additional infection control and preventive measures. This includes:
- Monitoring of all residents for respiratory symptoms and doing COVID-19 testing on anyone with COVID-19 symptoms;
- Enhanced cleaning protocols and COVID-19 visitor policies.
Heritage Square is a private long-term care and assisted living facility operated by Kaigo. The operator has implemented a temporary stop to all visits across the site as an added precaution.
READ MORE: Third Vernon care home hit with coronavirus
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