Health authority declares two more COVID-19 outbreaks in B.C. long-term care homes

Photo: The Canadian Press

Healthcare workers speak to drivers at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing facility in Vancouver, on Monday, December 28, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A Vancouver-area health authority has declared COVID-19 outbreaks at two long-term care homes in Surrey, B.C.

Fraser Health says a resident and staff member at Suncreek Village and two workers at Guildford Seniors Village have tested positive for the virus.

The health authority says it's working to determine who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and is screening residents and staff at both facilities twice a day for the virus.

Dr. Roger Wong, a clinical professor of geriatric medicine at the University of British Columbia's faculty of medicine, says seniors are at an increased risk of getting infected when community transmission remains high even if care homes take all precautions.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s website shows active COVID-19 infections in 14 long-term care homes as of Thursday.

More than 80 per cent of the deaths in the province have been among people over the age of 70.

Wong says every senior lost due to COVID-19 is one too many.

"It is heartbreaking to see those who have contributed so much to our society going down as a result of the pandemic," he said.

"Each person represents a precious and full life story to the family and to our society."