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Interior Health declares COVID-19 outbreak at Nelson Jubilee Manor, new cases up in Heritage City

Lone Sheep Publishing
By Lone Sheep Publishing
July 24th, 2021

As cases climb the West Kootenay, both in Nelson and in Castlegar, Interior Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak at the Nelson Jubilee Manor long-term care home.

In a media release Friday, Interior Health said as of Thursday afternoon, one patient and two staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.

Nelson Jubilee Manor is long-term care home operated by Interior Health, with 39 private rooms.

Interior Health said a team of infection control and communicable disease specialists, along with Nelson Jubilee Manor staff, are meeting daily to ensure all measures are being taken to prevent COVID-19 transmission such as closing the facility to admissions, discharges, and visitors.

“I want to thank the staff at Nelson Jubilee Manor for their quick identification of positive cases in the care home and for their ongoing work to protect residents,” said Medical Health Officer Dr. Fatemeh Sabet. “Our teams are working together to contain this outbreak and support the residents and staff who tested positive for COVID-19.”

Interior Health said the best publich health guidance to prevent COVID-19 transmission includes washing hands regularly and wearing a mask for members of the public who are not fully vaccinated or there are in a place that requires it – such as a health care setting.

The Jubilee Manor outbreak comes after the recent data from the BC Centre of Disease Control showed Nelson with 10 new COVID-19 cases between July 11-17.

During the same period, the Graphic Distribution of COVID-19 by Local Health Area of Case Residence map showed Castlegar had nine cases.

Vernon and Kamloops reported 11 as Interior Health deals with the latest COVID-19 cases in the province.

The surge in COVID-19 cases in Castlegar prompted local doctors to make a public appeal to have an many people possibly get vaccinated.

“In the last week we have had approximately 15 cases (number taken from informal survey of our three clinics. IH official numbers will be available next week). . .. This means there will be many more next week,” the Letter to the Editor submitted by a dozen Castlegar doctors said.

“These cases are almost exclusively in those who have not been vaccinated.”

“If you have been on the fence, thinking that you don’t need a vaccine because we don’t have COVID-19 here, please reconsider,” the Letter added. 

Friday, the most recent data showed Interior Health with 59 new COVID-19 cases of the 112 in the province.

Fraser Health, once the hotbed in the province, had 30 new COVID-19 cases while Vancouver Coastal had 15.

There were three new COVID-19 case in Northern Health and five in Island Health.

There are currently 781 active cases in the province and 146,178 who tested positive have recovered.

During the past 24 hours, four new COVID-19 related deaths were reported.

As of Friday, July 23, 2021, 80.3% (3,723,154) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 58.1% (2,692,024) have received their second dose.

The sign at the door of Jubliee Manor in Nelson warns the public of the COVID-19 outbreak. — The Nelson Daily photo

Booking a COVID-19 test

The public can book an appointment online through the COVID-19 Test Booking Form: https://interiorhealthcovid.secureform.ca/index.php

Call the COVID-19 Test Booking Line at 1-877-740-7747 for assistance with booking your test.

Ongoing immunization clinics

People can also get their first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by dropping in to an immunization clinic or making an appointment.

To make an appointment, register online by visiting the provincial website at www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca/, call 1‑833‑838‑2323, or visit a Service BC office listed here, and then book an appointment.

For a list of all Interior Health COVID-19 immunization clinics and other resources visit:

https://news.interiorhealth.ca/news/covid-19-vaccines/

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