Deadly outbreak at South Okanagan long-term care home declared over

A COVID-19 outbreak at an Oliver long-term care home that has taken 17 lives has been declared over.

B.C. health minister Adrian Dix said today, Jan. 18, the COVID-19 outbreak at McKinney Place in Oliver is now over.

The outbreak at McKinney Place infected 78 people, including 55 residents and 23 staff, and claimed 17 lives.

Dix also declared outbreaks in at several other care homes in the province over today.

"I'm thinking of everybody who's lost someone at those care homes, everyone who has been through that experience, even if they were not diagnosed positive, everyone who works in those care homes," Dix said. "We're thinking of them today on what is, I would say, a better day in all of those places the day that those outbreaks have been declared over.”

According to Interior Health, an outbreak is declared over when two incubation periods, or 28 days, have passed from the last onset of symptoms in a resident.

"This has been one of our most challenging outbreaks so far and I’m happy to see this outbreak declared over,” Interior Health chief medical officer  Dr. Albert de Villiers said in a press release. “As the vaccination roll-out continues across Interior Health, I am hopeful we will see fewer outbreaks in our long-term care facilities.”

All eligible staff and residents at McKinney Place have been offered their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination.

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