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COVID-19 outbreak declared over at Kelowna’s Cottonwoods Care Home

The outbreak, the facility’s second, was first declared on Aug. 4
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Cottonwoods Care Centre’s second COVID-19 outbreak was declared on Aug. 4. (Aaron Hemens/Capital News)

More than three months after it was first declared, Interior Health (IH) announced on Wednesday (Nov. 10) that the COVID-19 outbreak at Kelowna’s Cottonwoods Care Home is over.

“The outbreak at Cottonwoods has been a challenging one and I want to thank the staff and families for their commitment during this time,” said Susan Brown, IH Health president and CEO.

“On behalf of Interior Health, we send our condolences to the loved ones and caregivers of those who passed away.”

The outbreak, the facility’s second, was first declared on Aug. 4. During a press conference on Nov. 1, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry described the situation at Cottonwoods as “a very difficult outbreak.”

According to IH, there were 70 cases of the virus linked to the facility: 55 residents and 15 staff, with 17 deaths as a result.

“This has been our longest COVID-19 outbreak and it has really been a team effort to get this outbreak under control and declared over,” said Dr. Sue Pollock, IH’s interim chief medical health officer.

“The additional steps we are taking across all long-term care sites, including providing booster doses to residents and requiring proof of vaccine for visitors and staff, continue to be important to limiting the spread of this virus.”

There is currently one active outbreak at a Kelowna facility — the Sun Point Village retirement home. An outbreak was declared at the facility on Oct. 28. As of Nov. 10, the facility has 10 cases of the virus: seven residents and three staff.

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@aaron_hemens
aaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com

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