The deadliest COVID-19 outbreak in a Coquitlam long-term care home has been declared over after at least 21 residents lost their lives to the coronavirus.
The outbreak at Lakeshore Care Centre, located at 647 Gatensbury Street, was first declared Dec. 4 and lasted until Jan. 8.
With 21 deaths among the facility’s 56 beds, nearly 38% of residents have died of COVID-19 at Lakeshore.
That's up from the 19 deaths, or 34% of all residents, reported by the Tri-City News last week. Since then, Fraser Health has provided an up-to-date tally of the deaths at the facility.
Over a little more than a month, the transmission of the virus exploded among staff and residents, leading to 75 test-positive cases of COVID-19. Of those, at least 43 cases were isolated among residents, leading to a 77% infection rate.
ONGOING OUTBREAKS IN THE TRI-CITIES
Next door to Lakeshore and also run by The Care Group, The Madison Care Centre has been battling its own COVID-19 outbreak since Jan. 3.
A larger facility, the care home has 137 beds, 96 of which are funded through the Fraser Health Authority.
As of Jan. 7, at least seven residents and one staff member have tested positive for the coronavirus at the long-term care centre.
While the facilities are located around the corner from each other, Fraser Health stated in an email earlier this week that it is unaware of any connection between the two that might have led to the coronavirus outbreak at The Madison.
Meanwhile, a Port Coquitlam care home is also grappling with a COVID-19 outbreak.
Located at 2240 Hawkins Street, Nicola Lodge had been COVID-19-free since an earlier outbreak was declared over June 26.
But on Dec. 18, Fraser Health declared a second outbreak of the virus at the 230-bed facility, which quickly spread among staff and resident units. As of Jan. 7, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported two deaths and 47 cases at the long-term care centre.
Of those, 30 residents and 17 staff members (revised from 18 earlier in the week) had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The status of the outbreaks at The Madison and Nicola Lodge is expected to be updated over the coming days.
