Ongoing monitoring and testing of staff and residents at Rotary Manor in Dawson Creek has identified additional lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19. NH Medical Health Officers declared a facility outbreak on November 2, 2020 following confirmation of a single lab-confirmed case in a staff member.
Northern Health continues to take steps to protect the health of all Rotary Manor staff, residents and families. Enhanced control measures are in place, as well as additional supports for the facility to address quality, answer questions from staff, residents and family, and provide active checks of symptoms with staff and residents.
Northern Health has implemented the following measures to support the response to this outbreak:
- Non-essential visitors are restricted throughout the facility
- Staff and resident movement in the facility has been restricted
- Cleaning and infection control measures have been enhanced
- Residents, families and staff are being notified and regularly updated
- Frequent screening of all staff and residents
- Expanded hours and staffing at Fort St. John Hospital laboratory for COVID-19 testing
- Expanded testing for residents and staff with symptoms of illness
Evidence of COVID-19 transmission within the facility means the timeline for declaring the outbreak over will change. With additional cases confirmed, the outbreak would now be declared over once there are no further exposure concerns from laboratory-confirmed cases, for a period of 28 days (two consecutive 14-day COVID-19 incubation periods). Public health officials will be monitoring the situation carefully over coming weeks and will only declare the outbreak over when they are confident that chains of transmission have been stopped.
For more information on public exposures, school exposures, and facility or community outbreaks of COVID-19 within the Northern Health region.