The number of people who died during a norovirus outbreak at Selkirk Place last month was three times higher than usual for that time of year, the Vancouver Island Health Authority confirmed late Wednesday.
Medical health officer Dr. Dee Hoyano also said a food handler may have been responsible for the rapid spread of illness, which causes vomiting and diarrhea.
Hoyano made the comments in a statement posted on the authority’s website declaring the outbreak over at the residential care facility for seniors.
The statement said that that the nine residents who died during the outbreak was “a higher than usual number of deaths for this time of year. All residents who passed away were receiving supportive end of life care."
Hoyano provided no further details, but the health authority later confirmed that the monthly average at the facility is about three deaths.
When news of the outbreak broke last week, the authority would not directly link the deaths to norovirus, saying many of the facility’s residents are in frail health with multiple health problems.
“It's a situation where people are dying with norovirus rather than of norovirus,” Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Richard Stanwick said at the time. “But it’s certainly an aggravating factor.”
Stanwick could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall also said last week that people rarely die of norovirus, although the resulting dehydration can push the already frail elderly “over the edge.”
The norovirus swept through Selkirk Place during the last three weeks of July, infecting about 100 patients and 50 staff with gastrointestinal illness. Stanwick said as many as 40 people came down with the virus all at once, limiting the facility’s ability to contain its spread.
Hoyano said in her statement that investigators were unable to determine exactly how the norovirus was introduced to the facility. But she said investigators did receive information that a food handler was among the first to fall ill.
“This is an important reminder of how easily norovirus can be spread by ill workers and food handlers,” she said.
Hoyano said that Selkirk Place, which has about 200 residents, has returned to normal operations.
“We thank the staff at Selkirk Lodge for their ongoing efforts to provide supportive, safe care for their residents despite the challenges of this outbreak, and the patience and cooperation of Selkirk residents and their families and friends during this unusual period,” the statement said.
The Hospital Employees’ Union, which represents workers at Selkirk Place, had yet to see Hoyano’s statement and is expected to respond today.
