This story has been updated since first posting as additional information became available from provincial health officials.
A second long-term care home on the North Shore has confirmed three cases of novel coronavirus at its facility.
A man in his 90s who lives at Hollyburn House in West Vancouver has tested positive for COVID-19, has been isolated and is receiving treatment, according to provincial health officials.
Two additional care workers who work at Hollyburn House - a man and a woman, both in their 40s - have also tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Both of those care workers are also connected to the Lynn Valley Care Centre, said Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province's chief medical health officer on Thursday. They are both isolating at home in the Fraser Health Region.
Henry said the spread of the coronavirus between the two facilities highlights some of the issues in long-term care, where workers frequently work at more than one care facility.
The cases at Hollyburn House were originally believed to be the flu, she said, and were identified through additional screening.
In a statement Thursday, Dr. Rhonda Collins, chief medical health officer at Revera, the company which operates Hollyburn House, said screening is now in place so every person who enters the care home is being asked about potential symptoms and travel history to affected countries.
Ten coronavirus cases have previously been linked to North Vancouver's Lynn Valley Care Centre, including six workers, two residents and two household members of one worker.
B.C. now has 53 cases of coronavirus, including 7 new cases announced Thursday afternoon. Of those, one person is in hospital and six people have fully recovered.
To fight the spread of the virus, on Thursday, Henry ordered all gatherings over 250 people to be cancelled.
She also advised British Columbians not to travel outside of Canada, which includes travel to the U.S.
"The situation is just too risky right now," she said.
People who do choose to travel, including to the United States, will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return to Canada, staying away from work and school.
Henry said she made the decision to advise against travel to the US after "the extent of the community spread in many, many different communites” became apparent.
"We need to take aggressive all-of-society measures now so we don’t end up there," she said.
Henry said Canada has been "a little bit ahead" of the U.S. in terms of understanding transmission of the coronavirus.
"We had done thousands of tests when they had done dozens," she said.
But she also warned Canadians not be be complacent, noting Italy, Japan, Korea and France all hav excellent public health systems but have also found themselves facing a crisis with the outbreak of COVID-19.
Editor’s note: The latest information on coronavirus disease is available on the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and Vancouver Coastal Health websites. Detailed information including travel advice is on the federal government’s website. If you have questions and concerns about COVID-19, please get your information from a trusted source. Spreading rumours and misinformation on social media or in conversation could impact lives.
