Record-setting Saturday brings IH over 1,000 active COVID-19 cases for the first time

There were 253 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the BC Interior over the weekend.

That included a new daily high of 122 cases on Saturday, followed by 66 on Sunday and 65 over the past 24 hours.

It brings Interior Health to 5,313 total cases since the start of the pandemic, with 1,058 cases currently active.

It’s the first time the BC Interior has gone over 1,000 active cases.

Unfortunately, there were another four deaths due to COVID-19 over the weekend, two at Noric House in Vernon and one each at Sunnybank in Oliver and Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna.

"I offer our condolences to the families, caregivers and loved ones of these four people who all passed in long-term care," said Susan Brown, IH president and CEO.

"We are in our most challenging period of this pandemic but hope is on the horizon as we continue rolling out vaccines every day."

There are now 38 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the BC Interior and 10 of them are in intensive care.

The best news from over the weekend is that the six-week long outbreak at McKinney Place long-term care home in Oliver has now been declared over.

Of the 60 residents that reside at McKinney Place, 55 tested positive for the virus, along with 23 staff, and 17 of them died.

Here’s an update from IH on the rest of the current outbreaks in the region:

• Cariboo Memorial Hospital has 10 staff cases.
• Brocklehurst Gemstone long-term care in Kamloops has 18 cases: 14 residents and four staff.
• Sunnybank long-term care in Oliver has 34 cases: 26 residents and eight staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.
• Creekside Landing long-term care in Vernon has 32 cases: 18 residents and 14 staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.
• Williams Lake Seniors Village has two cases: one resident and one staff.
• Noric House long-term care in Vernon has 47 cases: 26 residents and 21 staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.
• Heritage Square long-term care in Vernon has 63 cases: 47 residents and 16 staff, with seven deaths connected to this outbreak.
• Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna has 46 cases: 41 residents and five staff, with three deaths connected to this outbreak.
• Teck mining operations remains at 16 IH cases linked to the outbreak.
• Village by the Station long-term care in Penticton has 10 cases: five residents and five staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.
• Mountainview Village long-term care in Kelowna has 16 cases: eight residents and eight staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.