Joint statement on 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.
– 29 new cases, total of 3,591 cases in British Columbia.
– 242 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 3,155 people have recovered, five individuals are hospitalized, two in intensive care and the remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
– Since the start of the pandemic, there have been
* 1,076 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region,
* 1,865 in the Fraser Health region,
* 143 in the Island Health region,
* 360 in the Interior Health region,
* 86 in the Northern Health region and
* 61 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.
– no new COVID-19 related deaths, total of 194 deaths in British Columbia.
– no new health-care facility outbreaks and are no new community outbreaks
– There continues to be additional community exposure events throughout the province. A full listing of community exposure events related to flights and others within each health authority is available through the BC Centre for Disease Control, as well as on health authority websites.
– In recent weeks, B.C. has faced an increase in new cases and new outbreaks of COVID-19. Much of this surge can be connected to Canada Day activities in the Kelowna area.
– What we have seen is that when our groups are too big and we see too many people outside of our household bubble, the potential for the virus to spread increases.
– We voiced our concern and British Columbians have listened. We thank you for resetting and rejoining our efforts to push our COVID-19 curve down and keep it low and slow in B.C.
– Until we have an effective vaccine, we all need to find the balance of reducing our risks and increasing our social connections. It is not difficult to do, but requires all of our effort, all of the time. This is how we play safe and stay safe.
– The fewer new cases and exposure events, the more opportunities we all have to enjoy the summer and have fun. More businesses are open and more activities are available to all of us.
– It is easy to socialize safely and that’s what we all need to do this B.C. Day weekend. To do this, let’s keep our groups small and keep a safe distance from others, no matter where we may be.
– The actions you take make a difference, so let’s make this holiday a different holiday than what we saw in early July. What you do today and this weekend will determine what we are able to do in the weeks ahead – so let’s all do the right thing.