There are now 2,315 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C., after health officials announced 29 new cases Friday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there are 866 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), 1,089 in Fraser Health, 125 on Vancouver Island, 180 in Interior Health and 55 in Northern Health.
There are no new outbreaks in a long-term care facilities. Currently, there are 16 active outbreaks in long-term facilities and five acute care facilities. 18 outbreaks have been declared over, including the Lynn Valley Care Centre, which was one of the first major outbreaks.
The outbreak at the Mission federal correctional institute in the Fraser Valley has remained steady at 134 cases. The number of positive COVID-19 is 121 inmates and 13 staff. An investigation is going and the health authority expects more people may develop symptoms in the coming days and weeks.
There continues to be seven positive cases at the Fraser Valley Poultry plant, and 61 people have tested positive in the ongoing outbreak at Superior Poultry, a chicken processing plant in Coquitlam. There continues to be 35 positive cases related to the initial outbreak announced a couple of weeks ago at United Poultry Company Ltd., a Vancouver processing plant. Investigations are ongoing at all plants.
There are 17 positive cases of COVID-19 connected to the Kearl Lake plant in Alberta and additional family members. Anyone who is returning from the plant is asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
There has been one new death, for a total of 127 fatalities in the province.
There are currently 73 people in acute care in hospital and 20 are in critical care.
1,579 people have fully recovered and are no longer in isolation.
Henry says our go-forward principles are our playbook for where we are today and how we will move forward. They are the rules to help us decide what is safe for ourselves, our loved ones and our communities. These principles will not change until COVID-19 is no longer a risk to any of us.
“Physical distancing is here to stay. We must continue to keep a safe physical distance from anyone outside of our household," she notes.
“There are no exceptions to staying home if you are ill. Even if it seems to be seasonal allergies, a cold or potentially COVID-19. And if you do have symptoms of COVID-19, contact 811 or your health-care provider to be assessed and tested."
“Travelling anywhere increases the likelihood of making us an unintentional carrier for COVID-19. While essential travel must continue, personal travel needs to be minimized, wherever possible."
“Our playbook for the pandemic has the ‘rules’ all of us must learn and follow. Keeping these top of mind will allow us to keep progressing through BC’s Restart Plan:
- Maintain physical distancing outside your household. For example, no handshaking or hugging, keeping your number of contacts low and keeping a safe distance.
- Practise good hygiene – hand hygiene, avoid touching your face and respiratory etiquette.
- Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill. That means staying home from school, work or socializing.
- Make necessary contact safer with appropriate controls, e.g., using plexiglass barriers or redesigning spaces.
- Increase cleaning of frequently touched surfaces at home and work.
- Consider using non-medical masks in situations where physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as on transit or while shopping.
- Continue to minimize non-essential personal travel.
- Stay informed, be prepared and follow public health advice.
“This weekend is Mother’s Day and a time to celebrate and honour someone important to us. We can all do something special for our mothers, whether they are near or far, in your household bubble or not," Henry says.
“For now, avoid any close physical contact, unless your mother is in your immediate household. And if your mother is older, awaiting surgery or has an underlying illness, celebrate at a safe distance. Give your mother the gift of staying safe and healthy."
“Let’s continue to stand together in spirit as we stay apart and move forward together.”
Earlier this week, Premier Horgan unvieled B.C.'s new guidelines to re-open the provincial economy. B.C.’s economy will restart in four phases, with the first order of business being the resumption of elective surgeries, personal care services, like dentistry, hair salons, retail and the reopening of provincial parks for day use starting in mid-May.
But concerts, conventions and other large gatherings -- phase four – could continue to be banned for one to two years, as their resumption are contingent on a vaccine being developed, the development of herd immunity or a new drug to treat the COVID-19 virus.
