Long-term care facilities such as Sunnybank Centre in Oliver are taking robust steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (File photo)

Updated March 24, 10:20 a.m. 

Osoyoos Times Staff

Effective immediately and until further notice, Interior Health (IH) is limiting the number of visitors entering all sites to essential visits only.

This decision follows a limit on visitations for long-term care facilities earlier this week and now extends to hospitals and all other IH facilities, including the South Okanagan General Hospital.

“The restriction of visits will help keep our patients, individuals in care, families and health-care workers safe. It also aligns with the Provincial Health Officer’s recommendations for social distancing,” IH stated in a press release.

Essential visits include, but are not limited to: visits for “compassionate care” e.g. patients at end of life or with critical illness, visits considered paramount to patient/client care and wellbeing (caregivers and support persons), such as assistance with feeding or mobility.

To further limit the number of people entering sites at this time, the same caregiver or support person should attend each essential visit wherever possible, IH said.

Patient navigators will be at entrances of all facilities to ensure visitors are aware of the new restrictions.

Interior Health also issued the following reminders:

  • People experiencing fever, cough, runny/stuffy nose, sore throat, and/or diarrhea must not visit any IH facility.
  • Anyone who has travelled outside of Canada in the previous 14 days must not visit patients/residents in any IH facility.
  • Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 (or who has been in contact with a person infected with COVID-19) during the previous 14 days must not visit patients/residents in any IH facility.

“We understand the importance of visits from family and loved ones to our patients and long-term care residents and we appreciate everyone’s support in keeping our patients, families, and health-care workers safe,” IH stated.

The BCCDC website is the recommended resource for accurate, current COVID-19 information for British Columbians. The site is being updated frequently and individuals are encouraged to check back often.

Interior Health also has frequently updated information on the COVID-19 page on the Interior Health website.

Original story March 23

Long-term care homes in B.C. are implementing additional measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“I know that this will be a challenge for some people in the community because you will not be able to see your loved ones as simply and as easily as you have done in the past,” said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, as she and Minister of Health Adrian Dix addressed the media and the province around 10 a.m. Monday.

There were 48 new test-positive cases in B.C. since Saturday, with 472 total cases province-wide — with Henry noting that 100 cases have recovered and were released from isolation.

“Many of the people who have tested positive have had very mild illness and have recovered for some time,” Henry said.

There are currently 30 cases of COVID-19 in the Interior Health region, 248 cases in the Vancuover Coastal Health region, 150 in Fraser Health, 39 on Vancouver Island and five in the Northern Health region.

Three additional deaths have occurred since Saturday and 33 people are currently hospitalized with 14 of those in the Intensive Care Unit.

A total of six long-term care facilities have been infected by COVID-19 mostly located in the Lower Mainland, none of which are in the Interior Health Region.

Long-term care workers are now getting screened as they come in to work. Henry said many care homes are going “out of their way” to digitally connect residents with their family.

There have been no reported outbreaks of COVID-19 in Interior Health long-term care homes as of Monday.

“Interior Health has no COVID-19 outbreaks in our long-term care homes. COVID-19 testing is currently included in all testing done for respiratory illness in long-term care facilities,” an Interior Health news release on March 21 states.

Interior Health is enacting the changes to long-term care and community programs and services “to protect seniors and those most vulnerable to COVID-19 and address potential pressures on the acute care system.”

Along with all other B.C. regional health authorities, Interior Health is restricting visitors in long-term care to essential visits only. Essential visits include compassionate visits for end-of-life care and for families who routinely visit to provide assistance with feeding or mobility.

The health authority is suspending transfers of individuals from one care home to another, except in circumstances of intolerable risk, and temporarily suspending all adult day programs and in-facility respite care, except in circumstances of intolerable risk and for those who require end-of-life care.

“These changes will enable health care staff to focus on increased surveillance and infection prevention protocols and prevent the spread of COVID-19 to our vulnerable seniors,” the statement reads.