“It is about finding the balance – protecting vulnerable people and keeping our activities going”
HEALTH Minister Adrian Dix, Minister of Health and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on Monday announced 269 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in British Columbia since Friday.
They said: “Today, we are providing case updates for three 24-hour reporting periods. In the first reporting period from August 21 to 22, we had 109 new cases. August 22 to 23, we had 81 new cases, and in the last 24 hours, we have had an additional 79 new cases.
“This represents 269 new cases, including five epi-linked cases since we reported on Friday, for a total of 5,184 cases in British Columbia.”
With one new COVID-19-related death in the Fraser Health region, the total number of deaths in the province now stands at 203.
There are 913 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 2,594 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases, and 4,068 people who tested positive have recovered.
Currently, 18 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, five of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,651 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 2,739 in the Fraser Health region, 166 in the Island Health region, 425 in the Interior Health region, 127 in the Northern Health region and 76 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.
There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at MSA Manor in the Fraser Health region. In total, nine long-term care or assisted-living facilities and one acute-care facility have active outbreaks.
There are no new community outbreaks. The outbreak at Fraser Valley Packers Inc. has been declared over. There also continues to be community exposure events at other locations and on flights into and out of the province.
Alerts are posted on the BC Centre for Disease Control’s (BCCDC) website, as well as on health authorities’ websites, providing details on where the potential exposure occurred and what actions to take – whether you need to self-isolate, or monitor for symptoms.
Dix and Henry said: “As we live with COVID-19 in our communities, our goals are clear: to prevent cases through our personal safety measures, detect new cases as quickly as possible and respond just as quickly to contain the spread of the virus.
“Public health teams continue to closely watch our key indicators to ensure we are staying where we need to be. This includes monitoring the level of community spread, as well as the percentage of positive tests. In both cases, right now we are staying within the range of where we need to be.
“We still have low transmission and we want to keep it that way as our summer continues and we look to the fall. It is about finding the balance – protecting vulnerable people and keeping our activities going.
“Our COVID-19 response in B.C. is about all of us doing our part and taking the right precautions based on our circumstances. It is about protecting those around us and protecting ourselves.
“While there are a few that have disregarded public health measures, new enforcement rules are in place to shore up the gaps that have emerged.
“This is how we will get through this storm together – supporting each other, adjusting our approach as we learn more about the virus and tailoring our activities to the circumstances before us.
“Let’s stay strong and continue to use the basic steps to live safely while COVID-19 is still a part of our lives. We have the knowledge, we have the skills and we have the expertise to protect our most vulnerable, our elders, our communities and ourselves.”
