Another COVID-19 outbreak has been declared for Eagle Ridge Hospital — the first in seven months.
Four patients within the Port Moody facility's acute care for elders unit have tested positive for the virus, according to Fraser Health who implemented the alert this afternoon (Jan. 5).
The authority explains the outbreak is contained to one unit within the ward, which is now temporarily closed to admissions.
No deaths have been reported as of this publication.
Eagle Ridge's emergency department remains open, Fraser Health adds, as no other areas of the hospital has been impacted and safety precautions have since been implemented to prevent further potential spread of the virus.
"Fraser Health has notified all patients on the affected units about each outbreak, and in addition, families of patients who are unable to share this information have been informed," the authority's statement reads.
"During this time, Fraser Health has additional presence at the sites to take any further actions required and support each facility. This includes dedicated people to address quality, answer questions from staff, residents and family, and provide active checks of symptoms with staff and residents."
The announcement comes nearly a week after an outbreak was declared at Port Coquitlam's Hawthorne Lodge where four people tested positive for COVID-19 including one resident and four staff members — one more than first reported on New Year's Eve (Dec. 31).
This is the fourth known outbreak at Eagle Ridge Hospital (475 Guildford Way) since the pandemic began.
Six people have died due to complications with the virus in that span — all occurring during the first outbreak — and a total of 51 infections.
This includes 25 from March 1 to April 1, 2021, 13 between March 12 and April 7, 2021, and 13 between June 18 and July 13, 2021.
As well, there have been three known COVID-19 outbreaks in Eagle Ridge Manor throughout the course of the pandemic, which is a long-term care facility at the hospital.
Between November 2020 and February 2021, seven total cases of the virus were detected including five staff members; no deaths were recorded.
The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is reporting a 72.2 per cent triple-vaccination rate among eligible residents aged 70 years and older in the Tri-Cities, as well as a 91.2 per cent double-vaccination rate among those aged 12 and up.
B.C. government and public health officials switched its booster distribution program to an interval system instead of by age group as of Friday in light of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The mutation is contributing to several spikes in provincial case counts, including 3,798 in the 24-hour reporting period from Tuesday (Jan. 4) to today.
B.C.'s most recent official count for Omicron cases was 3,878 on Dec. 31.
Eligible residents who have reached or surpassed the six-month mark since their second dose of vaccine against the virus are set to receive invitations to book an appointment for a booster shot.
