Six staff at Kelowna General Hospital confirmed to have coronavirus

Jul 19 2020, 6:33 pm

Six cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among employees at Kelowna General Hospital, though the region’s health authority says the facility is still safe to visit for treatment.

According to Interior Health, an investigation into the six cases has determined that they care connected to a cluster of cases in the community.

“At this time there are no impacts on our services at KGH,” Interior Health wrote in a release, “and we have no indication that any patients have been exposed to the disease.”

As per the organization’s protocols and ministry recommendations, the staff experiencing symptoms must stay home from work.

“We are confident that the individuals impacted by this current situation are following this direction,” Interior Health said. “It is important that anyone requiring medical care at the hospital feels confident in coming to KGH.”

While little information is given about the employees, the release states that recently identified cases are generally of individuals in their 20s and 30s.

As the province opens up, being cautious about those around you will be essential, especially as more people are using transit to get where they need to go.

Last week, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said “absolutely everybody” on transit should be wearing a mask.

“I absolutely think everybody on transit should be wearing a mask – everybody who can,” she said during a press conference. “If you are taking transit right now, you should be wearing a face covering unless there’s a very valid reason you can’t.”

Henry said she recognizes that enforcement of a guideline like this is a challenge and that “we know that sometimes it’s hard to tell when people can or can’t wear a mask – it may be around physical disability.”

However, she said, “there are very few medical reasons that people can’t wear masks.”

Peter SmithPeter Smith

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