‘COVID-19 is active and spreading in our communities‘
HEALTH Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on Wednesday announced 12 new cases who have tested positive for COVID-19, for a total of 2,680 cases in British Columbia.
However, for the fifth day in a row there were no new COVID-19 related deaths. There has been a total of 167 deaths in the province.
There are 185 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,328 people who tested positive have recovered.
Of the total COVID-19 cases, 12 individuals are hospitalized, four of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Every health region in British Columbia has patients with COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 911 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,378 in the Fraser Health region, 130 in the Island Health region, 195 in the Interior Health region and 66 in the Northern Health region.
There has been one new outbreak at Holy Family Hospital, a long-term care facility in Vancouver. In total, five long-term care or assisted-living facilities continue to have active outbreaks.
There have been no new community outbreaks, and public health teams are providing support for the six ongoing community outbreaks.
Dix and Henry said: “Through our active surveillance and testing, we have recently identified two community clusters of COVID-19 associated with large family connections.
“This tells us that our public health teams are quickly identifying new cases. It also tells us that while our overall provincial cases may be low, COVID-19 is active and spreading in our communities.
“When you bring households together, regardless of how many people that may include, everyone brings their own risk with them and the potential for spreading COVID-19 increases.
“This is why fewer faces and bigger spaces needs to continue to be our guidepost for how we move forward.
“If you are someone who works in our health-care system, someone for whom essential travel is required or live in the same household with essential workers, it is very important to continue to limit your other social interactions so you don’t spread the risk around.
“Anyone coming across our border from the United States is coming from a high-risk area and needs to take full precautions to avoid inadvertently spreading the virus to your family or community in Canada.
“If you are returning from university elsewhere in Canada, it is important to monitor yourself closely for symptoms, as some other parts of Canada are also experiencing community clusters and spread.
“A COVID-19 test when you are asymptomatic is ineffective and is not your passport to increase your social circle. Following all of the rules for safe physical distancing and wearing a cloth mask when you can’t keep those distances is.
“Monitor, manage and modify are going to be the keys to managing COVID-19, by keeping our communities safe and protecting the ones we care for most.”