Weekend sees 1,344 new cases/26 new deaths is BC, 234 cases/3 deaths in IHA
By Province of British Columbia
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia:
“Today, we are reporting on three periods: Jan. 22 to 23 we had 527 new cases, Jan. 23 to 24 we had 471 new cases and in the last 24 hours we had a further 346 new cases.
“This results in a total of 1,344 new cases, including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 64,828 cases in British Columbia.
“There are 4,392 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 328 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 68 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
“Currently, 6,607 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 57,831 people who tested positive have recovered.
“Since we last reported, we have had 314 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 618 new cases in the Fraser Health region, 73 in the Island Health region, 234 in the Interior Health region, 104 in the Northern Health region and one new case of a person who resides outside of Canada.
“As part of provincial monitoring of COVID-19, we have confirmed six cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in B.C. since the start of the pandemic. Health-care teams continue to monitor and test all children and teens who have symptoms.
“To date, 119,850 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 3,193 of which are second doses. Immunization data is available on the COVID-19 dashboard: www.bccdc.ca
“As a result of the limited supply of vaccine in the next two weeks, we will be delaying second doses until day 42, until we have assurance that vaccine supply has fully resumed. This is about doing our best to give as many people as possible the protection of a first dose.
“There have been 26 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,154 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have one new health-care facility outbreak at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. The outbreaks at Avalon Gardens, Bradden Private Hospital, Fraserview Intermediate Care Lodge, Good Samaritan Delta View Care Centre, Menno Home, Peace Arch Hospital Foundation Lodge, Sunrise of Vancouver, The Harrison at Elim Village, Waterford Retirement Residence and Williams Lake Seniors Village are now over.
“There has also been one new outbreak at the Surrey Emergency Response Centre.
“In the last couple of weeks, we have plateaued at about 500 new cases of COVID-19 a day. And, while the number of long-term care outbreaks has slowed, we continue to see new outbreaks in hospitals and in the community.
“This may seem stable to some, but it is a precarious situation for all of us. This shows us that while we are slowing the spread in long-term care, the risks remain high because the virus continues to circulate in our communities.
“We are at the threshold of where we were in November when cases started rapidly escalating, and we need to put a stop to this before more people become severely ill and our health-care system faces even more strain.
“Getting to the brighter days, easing the public health restrictions in our province relies on what we do now. That is why we need your help.
“We need everyone to remember that COVID-19 is still the unwelcome guest in our homes, at work and in our communities, and to take a step back; to stay home and stay away from others, and perhaps do more than what you have done before to slow the spread.
“Fewer cases is where we want to go in B.C., and we need your help to get there. Our goal for the next two weeks is to push the number of new cases in our province down as low as we can go.
“Let’s unite in this common goal. We have the tools and the resources to do just that, so let’s show each other that we can make this happen.”
Update on IH numbers:
· Please refer to the BCCDC Dashboard for numbers. It is updated M-F by 4:30 p.m.
· Three new deaths to report for a total of 62.*
o One additional death at Brocklehurst Gemstone in Kamloops.
o One death connected to the outbreak at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
o One death in the community/hospital.
“Sadly, Interior Health lost three people over the weekend to COVID-19, including a death associated with the outbreak at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health. “Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of these individuals. We continue to see COVID-19 cases across all settings – from long-term care to within the community. This virus respects no boundaries, however, we can slow it’s spread and reduce the risk of further tragic losses by continuing to follow all public health orders and precautions.”
Outbreak declared over
· Outbreak at Williams Lake Seniors Village is declared over. There were two cases: one resident and one staff. **See attached IB.
Update on outbreaks:
· Cariboo Memorial Hospital has 12 staff cases.
· Brocklehurst Gemstone long-term care in Kamloops has 23 cases: 16 residents and seven staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.
· Sunnybank long-term care in Oliver has 37 cases: 27 residents and 10 staff, with three deaths connected to this outbreak.
· Creekside Landing long-term care in Vernon has 35 cases: 20 residents and 15 staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.
· Noric House long-term care in Vernon has 58 cases: 35 residents and 23 staff, with five deaths connected to this outbreak.
· Heritage Square long-term care in Vernon has 68 cases: 47 residents and 21 staff, with eight deaths connected to this outbreak.
· Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna has 46 cases: 41 residents and five staff, with three deaths connected to this outbreak.
· Royal Inland Hospital has 48 cases: 20 patients and 28 staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.
o The outbreak has not yet spread outside 6 South and all precautions are in place to stop further transmission. All staff members who have tested positive are isolating at home.
o Patients are isolated on the COVID unit and on 6 South. Those who were able to be discharged are isolating at home. 6 South is closed to admissions.
o We remind the public that the hospital is safe to attend for appointments or emergency care. Please continue with any scheduled procedures. COVID-19 self-isolation is not required after visiting the hospital.
o Surgeries continue at the hospital at this time. Patients admitted after surgery will be cared for on a different floor.
o “I understand the public will be anxious about the news of this outbreak at their hospital. It is important, however, that people remain calm and know that a highly skilled team is working to quickly contain this outbreak. Please help us support staff and patients by following all public health precautions as you go about your daily activities,” said Medical Health Officer Dr. Carol Fenton.
o Vaccinations of frontline staff and physicians will continue this week.
Learn More:
For vaccine information, visit the BCCDC dashboard: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data
Or: www.bccdc.ca
For data regarding ongoing outbreaks in long-term care, assisted-living and independent-living facilities in B.C., visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data#outbreak
Mental health support, visit:
Mental health and anxiety support: www.bouncebackbc.ca
Or: www.anxietycanada.com
Or: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/mental-well-being-during-covid-19
Or:https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/mental-health-substance-use/virtual-supports-covid-19
The latest updates, guidance and information on COVID-19, and where to get tested, visit:
The latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and to find a testing centre near you: http://www.bccdc.ca/
Or follow @CDCofBC on Twitter.
Provincial health officer orders and guidance, visit:
Guidance on new restrictions: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions
Non-health related information, visit:
Financial, child care and education support, travel, transportation and essential service information: www.gov.bc.ca/covid19
Or call 1 888 COVID19 (1 888 268-4319) between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. (Pacific time), seven days a week.
COVID-19 exposure events, updates and information by health authority, visit:
BCCDC (flights, work sites, etc): http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/public-exposures
Fraser Health: fraserhealth.ca/covid19exposure
Interior Health: https://news.interiorhealth.ca/news/public-exposures/
Island Health: https://www.islandhealth.ca/learn-about-health/covid-19/outbreaks-and-exposures
Northern Health: https://www.northernhealth.ca/health-topics/outbreaks-and-exposures
Vancouver Coastal Health: http://www.vch.ca/covid-19/public-exposures
For the latest videos and livestreaming of COVID-19 media availabilities, visit:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BCProvincialGovernment/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCGovNews
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ProvinceofBC
