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COVID-19 cases in Lynn Valley care home continue to climb

Another elderly resident of the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver has died of coronavirus.
Lynn Valley Care Centre

Another elderly resident of the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver has died of coronavirus.

A total of 11 people who lived at the care home – many of whom are elderly with underlying health issues – have now died of COVID-19, making up the vast majority of B.C.’s 14 coronavirus deaths.

Forty-two residents of the North Vancouver care home and 19 health-care workers who take care of residents there have tested positive for the virus, according to Dr. Bonnie Henry, medical health officer for the province.

There are now nine care homes in the province where the virus has been detected, including one in Vancouver – Haro Park – where 28 residents and 27 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.

Henry said the outbreaks at the care homes highlights the vulnerability of elderly residents in long-term care facilities.

In an attempt to stop the spread of the virus, Henry said she has ordered that staff can work only in one long-term care facility.

That process has been complex, she said, because many of the care services in long-term care facilities are contracted out to a variety of different providers.

That is the case at Lynn Valley Care Centre, where different contractors provide services like care aides and cleaning staff.

As of Wednesday, there were 659 cases of coronavirus in B.C., including 42 new cases.

Of those, 64 people were in hospital, and 26 were in intensive care.

Henry said Wednesday that all of the deaths from coronavirus so far in B.C. have been among people older than 70. Most of those in intensive care have been people over 60, she said.