Interior Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Westsyde Care Residences group home in Kamloops.

It says nine residents and three staff members have tested positive for the virus at the facility at 2980 Westsyde Road. People who came in close contact with these individuals are monitoring for symptoms while in self-isolation.

“IH communicable disease specialists and a clinical operations team will continue to monitor the situation,” a statement said. “Additional infection control and preventive measures have been implemented and IH is providing other resources as required to stop the transmission of the virus.”

As with previous outbreaks, all visits to this care home have been temporarily suspended.

Westsyde Care Residences is a privately operated group home for people with brain and spinal cord injuries with several of the 21 beds publicly funded for IH clients.

This is the fourth COVID-19 exposure at a care home in Kamloops to go with an outbreak at Royal Inland Hospital which has grown by two cases to 81 – 51 staff and 30 patients – 65 of which are active.

There is still just one death connected to the outbreak at RIH.

There was also one new case in a staff member at the Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre taking the total to 24 cases, 16 in residents and eight staff members.

There are currently two active cases linked to this particular outbreak with two deaths reported as well.