Eight days.
That's how long the second known outbreak of COVID-19 lasted at Lakeshore Care Centre, which was also the site of the deadliest alert in the region a little more than a year ago.
Fraser Health declared the outbreak over at the Coquitlam retirement home "following the implementation of comprehensive strategies to prevent and respond to COVID-19," stated a news release sent to the Tri-City News this afternoon (Jan. 27).
No deaths linked to the virus were recorded among a total of 21 known lab-confirmed cases since the alert was issued on Jan. 19.
This included 18 residents living at the long-term care facility and three staff members.
Fraser Health says there were a combined 96 infections — 61 residents and 35 staff — between the two publicly-recorded outbreaks at Lakeshore.
The first alert was in place for 35 days from Dec. 4, 2020, to Jan. 8, 2021.
Sadly, 21 residents died due to complications with COVID-19 — the most among any other outbreak in the Tri-Cities since the pandemic began.
In an earlier response to the Tri-City News, Fraser Health spokesperson Dixon Tam said the strategy had changed to ensure the safety and support of all seniors living at Lakeshore, especially as booster vaccine doses continue to roll out.
"With this current phase of the pandemic, we have adjusted our approach to balance resident well-being with mitigating transmission," explained Tam.
"While measures such as restricting social visits in affected areas of the facility, enhancement of cleaning and infection control measures, and twice-a-day screening of all staff residents takes place when an outbreak is declared, we no longer routinely require asymptomatic residents on an affected unit to isolate in their rooms for weeks at a time."
Lakeshore Care Centre — located at 657 Gatensbury St. in Coquitlam — is owned and operated by The Care Group.
The outbreak's cancellation comes as the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) detected a 17 per cent decrease in weekly COVID-19 infections with 536 found across the Tri-Cities between Jan. 16 and 22.
That's also a 74 per cent drop compared to 2,055 cases between Boxing Day (Dec. 26) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1) — the highest single weekly count in the Tri-Cities since the pandemic began.
As of this publication (Jan. 27), 78 per cent of eligible regional seniors 70 years and older have received a third dose of vaccine against COVID-19, as well as 61 per cent of those over 50.
Tri-City residents aged 12 and up account for a 44 per cent third-dose vaccination rate.
