There are now 4,745 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C. after health officials announced 68 new cases Wednesday.
Deputy provincial health officer Dr. Reka Gustafason reports that there are 1488 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), 2,493 in Fraser Health, 158 on Vancouver Island, 411 in Interior Health and 120 in Northern Health.
Additionally, there have been 75 cases of COVID-19 in B.C. of people who reside outside of Canada.
There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreak at Richmond Lions Manor has been declared over. In total, eight long-term care or assisted-living facilities and one acute-care facility have active outbreaks.
There are no new community outbreaks. However, there continue to be community exposure events and on flights into and out of British Columbia.
There have been no new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 198 deaths in British Columbia.
Of the total COVID-19 cases, 10 individuals are hospitalized, four of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. As well, 2,452 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases.
There are 798 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,749 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.
“Testing for COVID-19 is an important part of our provincial pandemic response. We continue to step up the capacity, in each health region and in our labs, to match our public health activities," said Gustafason.
“Testing allows us to trace and contain the spread. The tests tell us who is positive for the virus, as well as how far the virus may have spread among close contacts when an outbreak or community cluster occurs.
“We know as the number of new cases increases, demand for testing also goes up. That is why each health region has been working to add further assessment and testing capacity. New assessmemt and testing centres and extended hours of service have been added in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions to address increases in demand. Today, we have the ability to complete approximately 8,000 tests every day.
“If you do develop symptoms, no matter how mild, your first step is to distance yourself from others and contact 811 or your health-care provider to arrange for an assessment.
“If public health has advised you to self-isolate because you have been exposed to COVID-19, please follow their advice. Even if you have no symptoms, a negative test does not mean you can shorten the period of self-isolation.
“While those who are younger are less likely to face severe illness, it is easy to inadvertently pass the virus on to someone who may be only a few years older, but much more vulnerable.
“As a result, the best thing we can do is to protect ourselves and those we care about most by assessing the risks before we spend time with others and always using our layers of protection.
“COVID-19 has meant doing things we have never done before. But let’s not forget this is not forever, only for now. Let’s continue to stay strong and push our curve down to where it belongs.”
