Another COVID-19 outbreak declared at Kelowna hospital

For the second time this month, a COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Kelowna General Hospital.

The first outbreak was declared by Interior Health, May 13, in unit 3E. That outbreak has since ended but another one was announced this week May 24, in the hospital’s surgical unit, 3W.

Interior Health did not immediately return a request for comment regarding how many cases there are in the outbreak or if there is any connection between the two outbreaks.

The hospital’s outbreak is one of five active COVID-19 outbreaks in healthcare locations and care homes in the region. An outbreak was also declared at Trail’s Kootenay Boundary Hospital on the third floor, May 24.

In provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s last press briefing May 10, she said the new variant BA2.12 has shown up in B.C. with the Interior Health region being one of its primary targets.

“There have been slight variations in different areas of the province in the strains that we’re seeing and, yes we’re seeing some of the BA2.12 in the Interior,” she said.

The BA2 subvariant is much more transmissible than the original Omicron variant which, in turn, was more infectious than the earlier Delta and Gamma variants.

READ MORE: Interior Health leading the way in B.C. with latest COVID variant

The BA2.12 is running rampant in some part of the U.S., particularly New York, and may be 25% more transmissible than earlier subvariants but may not be any more serious, especially for those who have multiple layers of vaccination.

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