COVID-19 outbreak declared at Royal Columbian Hospital

Fraser Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak at New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital Thursday afternoon.

Staff found evidence of coronavirus transmission in the hospital’s medicine unit, the health authority said in a news release. So far, one staff member has tested positive, which is the threshold for declaring an outbreak in a healthcare setting.

The hospital has taken extra outbreak precautions, and no new patients are being admitted to the unit. Royal Columbian’s emergency department remains open as usual.

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Fraser Health also announced outbreaks at three more long-term care homes. Two staff members who work at Langley Memorial Hospital’s Cedar Hill and Rosewood residences have tested positive for the virus.

Another two staff members at The Residence at Clayton Heights, a care home for people with brain injuries, have also tested positive for COVID-19.