Interior Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak in the second-floor surgical unit at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail.
The health authority says 11 patients have come down with the virus. The first case was identified on July 1 and the outbreak was declared Monday.
Infection prevention and control measures are in place including enhanced cleaning and disinfection, use of personal protective equipment, and requiring that ill visitors do not enter the unit, Interior Health said.
As of today, there are further restrictions on visitors, limiting patients to a maximum of two visitors at a time. Patients may recieve visits from different people druing their stay, so long as no more than two people are present at any given time.
“We also remind the public not to visit patients if they are feeling unwell, including with symptoms such as fever, a cold or the flu, or if they have recently been exposed to someone who is ill,” the health authority said. “These measures help protect patients, staff and visitors and reduce the risk of transmission within the hospital.”
Interior Health said it is proactively screening all surgical patients for risk factors, including age, vaccination and immunocompromised status and contacting every surgical patient to let them know the unit is experiencing an outbreak.
Patients who are uncomfortable going ahead are being the option to reschedule their suregery, but so far no one has chosen to do that.
