Multiple patients at a Nanaimo hospital have become infected with COVID-19 as a result of two ongoing outbreaks at the facility.
As of Jan. 31, there are 31 patient cases attributed to outbreaks on the fourth and fifth floors of Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, according to Island Health.
Of those 31 patient cases, 17 are linked to the fourth floor while the remaining 14 are linked to the outbreak on the fifth floor.
Island Health first declared an outbreak on the fifth floor of NRGH back on Jan. 25, after five patients tested positive for the virus. A few days later, the health authority declared an outbreak on the fourth floor but did not disclose the number of patients infected.
In a statement to CHEK News on Tuesday, Island Health said the outbreak declarations are strictly limited to the fourth and fifth-floor general medicine units.
“NRGH remains a safe place to go and people should not avoid seeking emergency care, if they need it,” a spokesperson for the health authority said in an e-mailed statement to CHEK News.
Island Health says no other areas of Nanaimo Regional General Hospital are dealing with an outbreak.
Nicholas Pescod
