There are now 2,479 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C., after health officials announced 12 new cases Thursday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there are 887 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), 1,223 in Fraser Health, 126 on Vancouver Island, 183 in Interior Health and 60 in Northern Health.
In total, 14 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and three acute-care units have active cases. There are no new community outbreaks to report. There have been 329 residents and 208 staff affected.
Public health teams continue to provide support for community outbreaks at the Oppenheimer Group, those in the poultry sector, at the Mission Institution and with those connected to the Kearl Lake plant in Alberta. The United Poultry outbreak has been declared over.
In a new community outbreak, an individual at the Matsqui institution at a federal medium-security prison facility in Abbotsford has tested positive for COVID-19.
There have been three new deaths, for a total of 152 fatalities in the province.
There are currently 43 people in acute care in hospital and eight are in critical care.
There are 307 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 2,020 people who tested positive have recovered.
"We've now screened over 40,000 travellers who have come into B.C. from air or land," said Henry. 125 people have also been provided accommodation for self-isolation when people come into the province.
Henry adds that in B.C. 52 percent of cases from COVID-19 in province are female. However, 62 percent of deaths from COVID-19 in province are male. In addition, 60 percent of men have been hospitalized, and 64 of people who have needed critical care have been male.
“The federal government spoke to the use of non-medical masks or cloth face coverings in public settings. When it is difficult to keep a safe physical distance for an extended period of time - for example, when you are on transit - this is a good way for you to protect those around you," said Henry.
“We have to remember that face coverings keep our droplets in and don’t prevent transmission from others. The best ways for us to stay safe is to wash our hands, maintain a safe physical distance from others and keep our ‘rules’ for social interactions top of mind."
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Earlier this week, many businesses that had been closed due to the pandemic can "begin the process of safely reopening." The public health officer's revised orders can be found on the province's website.
As the province "cautiously" moves toward its second phase of reopening with a gradual easing of restrictions, Henry warned that "we have to move carefully, and we have to move thoughtfully.
On Saturday, Henry thanked British Columbians who have taken the time to fill out the province's 'Your story, our future,' survey, but noted that the government would like to hear from more seniors, as well as B.C. residents who live outside major urban centres. "Anybody who works with anybody who is marginalized or vulnerable, who may not have access to a computer or a telephone, please find ways to encourage and to assist these people, your clients, to take this survey as well," said Henry. "We want to make sure everybody's stories are heard."
"The provincewide Your story, our future survey is an opportunity to share your personal experience with COVID-19 so far. Take a few minutes to join the 286,000 British Columbians who have already completed the survey, or help someone else to do the same," she said.
“The information you share is incredibly important and so is ensuring your confidentiality and data security. The survey has stringent security and privacy measures built in to make sure you can provide your input with the assurance of the security we all expect and need. If you have any questions about the survey, please send them to: [email protected]
“Our individual circumstances are unique, but the actions we can take to protect each other and ourselves are the same. We have made great strides to flatten our curve and we must continue to work together to keep it there.”
- With files from Megan Lalonde.
