Burnaby Hospital has now seen COVID-19 outbreaks declared over the span of the past four months, involving more than 160 cases and at least 18 deaths.
The hospital has grappled with three separate outbreaks, with one being declared pretty much right after another one has been declared over.
Fraser Health announced Wednesday that nine patients on one of the medicine units at the local health facility had been infected in a new outbreak that started as another one was declared over.
But what happened with the previous outbreak?
In total, there were 37 patient and 18 staff cases associated with the COVID-19 outbreak at Burnaby Hospital that was declared Dec. 15, 2020.
There were eight deaths associated with this outbreak, according to Fraser Health.
“Our sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19,” read a statement. “We acknowledge and appreciate the commitment of our staff and medical staff in caring for our patients at Burnaby Hospital.”
Before the Dec. 15 hospital outbreak, there was an outbreak that was declared on Nov. 9 that saw at least 10 deaths and more than 100 cases involving staff and patients. A fire at the hospital in November is believed to have exacerbated this outbreak. The fire is still under investigation and has been called suspicious.
The current outbreak is limited to the one unit, which is temporarily closed to admissions, according to the news release.
“Upon declaring the outbreak, Fraser Health immediately implemented precautions, including enhanced cleaning as well as contact tracing to protect the health of all staff, medical staff and patients,” stated the release.
Fraser Health said it has notified all patients on the affected unit about the outbreak and also informed the families of patients who are unable to share the information.
The emergency department remains open, and there has been no impact to any other areas of the hospital, according to the release.
- With additional reporting by Cornelia Naylor
