Interior Health confirmed that a respiratory illness has broken out at the Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home in Cranbrook, however, the outbreak is not related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Providing a statement to MyEastKootenayNow.com, Interior Health said they are still investigating the outbreak, noting that a number of common viruses can cause respiratory illnesses in people.
“The outbreak at Dr. Green is a respiratory illness that we are still investigating, but the results for the COVID-19 testing have come back negative,” said Interior Health in its statement. “While respiratory infections tend to occur more during colder months, they are possible throughout the year.”
More: Active Facility Oubreakts (Interior Health)
“All individuals in care with respiratory symptoms are tested for COVID-19 and the results here were negative,” added the health authority.
Interior Health said it is not unusual to see a small number of outbreaks at long-term care homes during this time of year.
The entire facility is currently under Interior Health’s outbreak protocol, with the Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home outbreak prompting a Scenario B response.
As per Interior Health guidelines, Scenario B is the median level of severity for an outbreak at a residential care facility. Scenario B is for, “more severe respiratory illness known or suspected to be due to a non-influenza or bacterial infectious cause.”
More: Outbreak Guidelines (Interior Health)
In comparison, Scenario C is classified as, “milder respiratory illness, known or suspected to be due to other non-influenza viral pathogens, most commonly rhinovirus and coronavirus,” while Scenario A is for, “more severe respiratory illness known or suspected to be due to influenza.”
No further details were provided by Interior Health about the Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home outbreak, other than the outbreak was first declared on Sunday, May 10, 2020.
More: Latest COVID-19 News (Interior Health)
