There are now 1561 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C., after health officials announced 44 new cases Wednesday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there are 670 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), 623 in Fraser Health, 92 on Vancouver Island, 146 in Interior Health and 30 in Northern Health.
There are no new long-term care facilities with outbreaks. Currently, there are active outbreaks in facilities in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions. There are now 265 people who have tested positive in these facilities.
There has been three new cases related to an outbreak in a nursery in the interior which involves temporary foreign workers. This brings the total number of cases to 26.
There is still only one case at the Okanagan correctional facility. The outbreak remains under observation.
The outbreak at the Mission federal correctional institute in the Fraser Valley continues to grow. Now, the institute has 48 people who have tested positive, and 7 are now in hospital.
There are currently 131 people in acute care in hospital, and 59 are in intensive care.
There have been three new deaths. This brings the provincial total of fatalities to 75. For the first time, there has been a death of a man in the interior. He was in his 60s when he passed.
955 people have fully recovered and are no longer in isolation.
"Do not hesitate to call for help if you need it," said henry.
Yesterday, Henry stated that the Province will not allow the pandemic to slow down the response to the overdose crisis. In addition, she states that people who are experiencing homelessness and mental health issues will have access to housing options in the coming days. She also highlighted that people in vulnerable communities may even have difficultities accessing food at this time.
Henry also encourages everyone to be kind to people who have to continue to work during the pandemic, such as those working in grocery stores, pharmacies, and in health care. She adds that isolation can be challenging, and that anyone who has an underlying illness should contact a doctor through virtual care. She mentions Anxiety Canada and Bounceback BC as useful resources for mental health.
In a previous briefing, Henry noted that people should consult the new online assessment tool if they aren't sure if they require further testing or assessment for COVID-19. She also underscored the importance of physical distancing, hand washing, covering your mouth if you cough, not touching your face and staying home if you are sick.
