A week after Interior Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Hillside Village, the number of cases has changed only slightly.
On Sept. 1, when the outbreak was announced, the number of people who had tested positive for the virus at the long-term care facility was four – three staff and one resident.
As of Sept. 7, the total had risen to five: three staff and two residents.
The Good Samaritan Society, based in Edmonton, operates Hillside Village. In an Aug. 31 letter, it assured residents and their loved ones that precautionary measures have been put in place. They included: enhanced screening of residents for symptoms twice daily; swabbings of residents in the main building; the offering to staff of asymptomatic swabbing; enhanced cleaning; essential visitors wearing masks at all times; end of life/palliative visits continuing; and also non-urgent appointments being put on hold.
The letter from the Good Samaritan Society also reminded friends and family that virtual visits can still be arranged by contacting the care home or visiting the Good Samaritan Society website at www.gss.org.
Asked whether the people who have tested positive at Hillside Village are showing symptoms of the virus, an Interior Health spokesperson said in an email: “We can’t comment on whether residents are symptomatic or asymptomatic due to privacy concerns, however, COVID positive people across the Interior continue to present both with and without symptoms.”
Interior Health keeps a provincewide list of active facility outbreaks.
Hillside Village has 112 licensed long-term care suites, comprised of six 12-bed dementia care cottages and 40 beds in the main building.
Read more: COVID-19 outbreak declared at Hillside Village in Salmon Arm
Read more: Another COVID-19 outbreak declared at Kelowna long-term care centre
newsroom@saobserver.net
Like us on Facebook follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our daily newsletter.