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COVID-19 outbreak at Vernon long-term care facility results in 6 deaths

The outbreak also resulted in 43 cases and one hospitalization
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A COVID-19 outbreak at Polson Extended Care in Vernon resulted in six deaths. The outbreak was declared over on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)

A COVID-19 outbreak at the Polson Extended Care facility in Vernon resulted in six deaths.

The outbreak was declared over by Interior Health (IH) on Thursday, Oct. 13.

There were a total of 43 cases, one hospitalization and six deaths linked to the outbreak.

“It is a reminder that while most people are experiencing less severe, and even mild, illnesses from COVID, residents of long-term care facilities are highly vulnerable to severe COVID-19 infections, complications and death due to their advanced age and the presence of many chronic medical conditions or treatments,” IH said in a statement.

The health authority said residents were prioritized to be the first to receive vaccination and were also prioritized to get their first and second booster early.

“Fortunately, this has provided most residents with strong protection against severe disease before they were exposed to the virus.”

According to IH, the Omicron variant is more transmissible than nay previous variant of concern, and it is not unexpected to see higher numbers of cases in long-term care facilities.

“Protecting the most vulnerable individuals is why we continue to promote immunization and boosters for people of all ages. Immunization is about protecting those around you as well as protecting yourself,” IH said.

“While the severity of cases has been relatively low in the last few months, which reflects all the progress that we have made in the last two years, we continue to be very vigilant and put protective and control measures in place when cases are identified, to ensure an adequate level of protection for our elderly residents.”

IH added that since December 2021, the Omicron variant has “almost completely replaced” all other variants of concern and is now by far the most frequent COVID-19 variant found in cases in Canada and around the world.

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Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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