There are now 12,331 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C. after health officials announced 274 new cases Thursday.
One of these new cases is epi-linked.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there are 4,260 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), 6,720 in Fraser Health, 249 on Vancouver Island, 644 in Interior Health and 365 in Northern Health.
Additionally, there have been 88 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, 17 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks.
There have been no new community outbreaks. However, yesterday the first school outbreak was announced in the province. Henry said, "While it is not what anyone of us wants to see, it is not unexpected."
"Steps were taken by public health to contain the spread."
There have been no new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 256 deaths in British Columbia.
Of the total COVID-19 cases, 71 individuals are hospitalized, 24 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. As well, 4,425 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases.
There are 1,920 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 10,114 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.
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.
"Many of the new cases and recent community clusters of COVID-19 are directly connected to weddings, funerals and celebrations of life – times when we traditionally gather with family and friends," said Henry.
“With COVID-19 still in our communities, we have seen that even small gatherings are risky right now. Inside or outside, large space or small, the fewer the faces the better.
“A wedding is meant to be a time of celebration, yet weddings and other important life occasions are a significant source of community transmission; transmission that has spread to health-care facilities, workplaces and schools.
“Now is the time to keep these celebrations small and to plan for bigger family gatherings at a time when we are no longer putting our seniors, elders and others at risk.”
