There are now 3,419 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C. after health officials announced 27 new cases Friday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there are 1,057 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), 1,764 in Fraser Health, 142 on Vancouver Island, 319 in Interior Health and 79 in Northern Health.
Additionally, there have been 58 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, one long-term care or assisted-living facility and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks.
There is one new community outbreak on Haida Gwaii, with 13 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date. Of the 13 people who have tested positive, one person has recovered and 12 are active cases. At this time cases are all local residents. While the initial source of transmission is still being investigated, the cases are all epidemiologically linked. Some are related residents who had recently travelled off island, and others are from exposure to known cases.
There also continues to be additional community exposure events throughout the province, including at Fossello’s clothing store in Kelowna. A full listing of community exposure events for each health authority is available through the BC Centre for Disease Control, as well as on health authority websites.
There has been one new COVID-19 related death, for a total of 191 fatalities in the province.
Of the total COVID-19 cases, 12 individuals are hospitalized, three of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
There are 294 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,934 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.
“Public health teams are requesting the assistance of anyone who may have been exposed through community exposure to monitor themselves closely for symptoms, minimize time spent with others and get tested promptly if any symptoms arise," said Henry.
“Can you keep a safe distance from others? Are you giving people the space to stay safe? Are you spending a short time together? Are you outside? Are the people you are with in your bubble? These are the questions we all need to ask ourselves.
“If you can’t say yes to these questions, then say no to the activity and choose to do something else instead."
Henry noted that a new provincial health officer order will be in put place in the coming days to limit the number of people who can stay at and visit short-term rental accommodations and boat rentals. Whether at home or renting, she advises keeping our groups small to keep all of us safe.
“Similar to the case in restaurants, the number of people will be determined by the size of the space to ensure safe social interactions for everyone," added Henry.
“This weekend, be mindful of where you are going and who you are seeing, assess your own risks and take steps to protect yourself and those you care for most. Let’s keep our firewall strong and bend our curve back down.”
