There are now 3,198 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C. after health officials announced 28 new cases Friday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there are 1,032 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), 1,676 in Fraser Health, 136 on Vancouver Island, 235 in Interior Health and 68 in Northern Health.
Additionally, there have been 51 cases of COVID-19 in B.C. of people who reside outside of Canada.
There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. In total, two long-term care or assisted-living facilities and one acute-care facility have active outbreaks.
A newborn intensive care unit at a Vancouver hospital is the site of the latest COVID-19 outbreak in the city.
Vancouver Coastal Health, which administers health care services for much of Greater Vancouver region and the inner south and central coasts, issued a notice about the outbreak Thursday.
The outbreak covers the neo-natal intensive care unit at St. Paul's hospital in downtown Vancouver.
There have been no new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 189 fatalities in the province.
2,802 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.
“We are concerned about the increase in new cases in recent days as COVID-19 continues to silently circulate in our communities," said Henry. “While early on, many of our long-term care and assisted living facilities were impacted, most of the new cases are in the broader community.
“Here in British Columbia, as we spend more time with others, we need to find our balance with COVID-19. We need to minimize the number of cases, manage new cases as they emerge and modify our activities accordingly.
“To do this, we all have to do our part by continuing to use our layers of protection and following our rules for safe social interactions.
“No one wants to get sick with COVID-19, nor do we want to inadvertently pass it onto others. While the symptoms can be mild, it is a complex illness that has serious consequences.
“Let’s enjoy the summer safely and continue to do all we can to protect our neighbours, our friends and our loved ones.”
- With files from the Canadian Press.
- Live conference more to come.
