Joint statement on Province of B.C.’s COVID-19 response, latest updates
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. Read the full statement here.
- 25 new cases, total of 1,724 cases in British Columbia.
- Every health region in British Columbia has patients with COVID-19:
- 707 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region,
- 715 are in the Fraser Health region,
- 109 are in the Island Health region,
- 153 are in the Interior Health region and
- 40 are in the Northern Health region.
- 1 new COVID-19 related death in the Vancouver Coastal Health region; total of 87 deaths in British Columbia.
- An outbreak has been identified at the United Poultry Company in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. To date, 28 employees have been confirmed positive and close contacts have been notified and ordered to self-isolate. The plant has been closed to slow further transmission, and public health teams are providing support.
- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for ensuring the safety of food products. According to CFIA, there is no evidence to suggest that food is a likely source or route of transmission for the virus. Therefore, no recall of chicken products distributed from this plant is required. Good hygiene practices should still be followed during food handling and preparation, such as:
- washing hands with soap and water;
- regularly cleaning and disinfecting surfaces;
- cooking meat thoroughly; and
- avoiding potential cross-contamination between cooked and uncooked foods.
- 1,041 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered and no longer require isolation.
- Of the total COVID-19 cases, 109 individuals are hospitalized, and 51 of those are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
- Throughout B.C., you have stepped up. Despite the hardships, you have recognized the importance of maintaining safe physical distance, being mindful of those around you, keeping our communities strong and showing compassion and care. We need everyone to keep going. We are at an important crossroads with our COVID-19 response. Every day counts, and every action you take makes a difference.
- Many are looking ahead and thinking about getting back to work. Now is the time to start thinking about how you can do that safely with precautions in place. Our focus is to ensure the storm has lessened, so that our workers, entrepreneurs and business owners can join the essential workers who have done so much these past weeks to keep our economy going.
- Let’s stay vigilant, connected and committed. We will get through this by remaining united and working together in our common purpose to flatten the curve.
Learn More:
To learn where, when and how people with symptoms can be tested, visit here.
The COVID-19 self-assessment app, which includes details about where, when and how to be tested, can be downloaded here.
BC Covid-19 Response Update with information on new provincial advice and measures and new federal measures.