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.
– 95 new cases, total of 1,948 cases in British Columbia.
– Every health region in British Columbia has patients with COVID-19:
- 778 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region,
- 853 are in the Fraser Health region,
- 115 are in the Island Health region,
- 160 are in the Interior Health region and
- 42 are in the Northern Health region.
– 2 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 100 deaths in British Columbia.
– As of today, 18 employees have now been confirmed positive at Superior Poultry in Coquitlam, 35 employees at United Poultry in Vancouver, 11 confirmed positive cases are connected to the Kearl Lake project in Alberta and 118 inmates and staff are confirmed positive at the Mission Institution federal correctional centre.
– To date, 1,137 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered and no longer require isolation.
– Of the total COVID-19 cases, 96 individuals are currently hospitalized, 41 of those are in intensive care, and the remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
– Keeping a safe physical distance from others and staying home when ill are the best things we can do with COVID-19, but we recognize this can be extremely difficult for those with precarious housing.
– This is further compounded for people who may also face mental-health and addiction issues.
– To address these challenges, today the Province announced important action to provide safe housing, food and wraparound support for people living in encampments in Victoria and Vancouver.
– The addition of more than 1,000 hotel rooms provides a further means for vulnerable citizens to have access to secure housing with the necessary health-care and mental-health supports.
– We also know that being home more can unfortunately lead to increased stress and, in some cases, violence.
– If you are experiencing violence, we want you to know that you are not alone. VictimLinkBC is available 24/7 to provide information and services to all victims of crime, in addition to immediate crisis support for victims of family and sexual violence.
– We must do all we can to protect and support each other. We will get through this, but we will be stronger by working together to take care of our loved ones and ourselves.