Photo: Crest View Village

A respiratory outbreak has been declared at a long-term care facility in Creston.

According to Interior Health (IH) the outbreak was officially declared at the Crest View Care Village on Feb.12 and has affected the entire facility.

They have confirmed that 11 cases have been identified, although the numbers may change as the outbreak is ongoing.

In response to the outbreak, the facility has implemented several control measures, including enhanced cleaning, disinfecting, in addition to the increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and visitors. Symptomatic patients have also been isolated to limit the spread.

"We strongly encourage people in the community to do their part in protecting people in care, such as keeping vaccinations up to date, masking when appropriate, washing hands regularly and staying home when you're sick," Interior Health said in an email to Castanet.

Visitors have been restricted for the time being, and only essential individuals who provide direct support to patients will be allowed to enter the facility.

IH is advising the public to postpone any visits to the facility until the outbreak is declared over. The health authority said that the end of the outbreak would be determined based on specific symptoms present within the facility and that each outbreak would be assessed on a case-by-case basis to prevent further transmission.

While they did not confirm whether respiratory outbreaks have increased in recent years, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) provided historical outbreak data, which can be accessed here.

IH has not yet provided an estimated timeline for when the outbreak at the Crest View Care Village will be resolved.