COVID-19 outbreak declared over at Port Coquitlam's Hawthorne Lodge

Public health officials have declared a COVID-19 outbreak over at a Port Coquitlam long-term care facility.

Hawthorne Lodge's alert for further spread of the virus has come to an end as of Tuesday (Jan. 11).

As of this publication, Fraser Health recorded five total infections since Dec. 31 when the outbreak was put in effect — including one resident and four staff members.

"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," the authority says in a statement as all of those that tested positive self-isolated in their own homes.

Hawthorne Lodge is located in the Hawthorne Seniors Care Community (2111 Hawthorne Ave.), and is owned and operated by the Port Coquitlam Seniors Citizens' Housing Society.

There have been four new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreaks at Mission Memorial Hospital and Hawthorne Lodge (Fraser Health) have been declared over, for a total of 45 facilities with ongoing outbreaks.
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— BC Centre for Disease Control (@CDCofBC) January 12, 2022

This was the third COVID-19 outbreak declared at the property.

Four Hawthorne community residents have died due to complications with the virus since the pandemic began, two during each of the previous declarations, along with 44 total infections.

Between Oct. 29 and Dec. 2, 2020, 34 cases were found in Tower One with 25 residents and nine staff.

In Tower Two, 10 detected cases between Nov. 3 and Dec. 9, 2020, included five residents and five staff members.

Meanwhile, one outbreak still remains in place across the Tri-Cities.

As of Jan. 5, the elder acute-care unit in Port Moody's Eagle Ridge Hospital has detected five COVID-19 cases — all patients — and Fraser Health says the ward is still closed for admissions.

However, the hospital's emergency room is still open and no other departments has been impacted since safety precautions were implemented.

This is the regional hospital's fourth known outbreak of the pandemic.

Six people have died due to complications with COVID-19 in that span and a total of 51 infections.

As of today, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is reporting a 45 per cent triple-vaccination rate among eligible residents aged 50 years and older — a jump of 10 per cent in the last seven days.

Fifty per cent of local kids aged five to 11 have been inoculated with a first dose of vaccine against the virus, which was a six per cent increase in one week, currently the third highest in Fraser Health behind New Westminister (53) and South Surrey/White Rock (51).

There's currently a 91 per cent double-vaccination rate among those aged 12 and up in the Tri-Cities, as well as a 93 per cent single-dose rate.