B.C. reports another record jump in COVID-19 cases, Island Health sees 1 new case

B.C. reports another record jump in COVID-19 cases, Island Health sees 1 new case
File photo/CHEK
Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provides an update on COVID-19 on September 14, 2020.

British Columbia has reported 165 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, a new daily record.

Two of the new cases are epidemiologically-linked, meaning people who were never tested but were presumed to have COVID-19 because they developed symptoms and were close contacts of a laboratory-confirmed case.

One new COVID-19 death, a senior in long-term care, was reported on Thursday. B.C.’s COVID-19 death toll is now 220.

Of those new cases in B.C., only one new case is in Island Health. The latest case is in southern Vancouver Island.

Island Health has had 195 cases since the start of the pandemic. As of Thursday, there were 11 active cases: seven in southern Vancouver Island and three in central Vancouver Island.

One hundred and eighty people with COVID-19 in Island Health have recovered.

Island Health COVID-19 numbers on Sept. 17, 2020. (Island Health)

Island Health COVID-19 numbers on Sept. 17, 2020. (Island Health)

B.C. has had a total of 7,663 cases since the start of the pandemic, including 195 in Island Health, 2,714 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 3,937 in Fraser Health, 489 in Interior Health, 241 in Northern Health and 86 among residents outside of Canada (visitors and temporary foreign workers).

There are 1,705 active cases (an increase of 91 from Sept. 16). A total of 2,949 are under active public health monitoring due to identified exposure to a known case (a decrease of 17 from Sept. 16) and 5,719 people with COVID-19 have recovered.

There are 57 people with COVID-19 in hospital (a decrease of three from Sept. 16) and 22 in intensive care (a decrease of one from Sept. 16).

There are two new healthcare outbreaks: Delta Hospital and Peace Arch Hospital in Fraser Health. There are 15 active outbreaks in the health-care sector. There are no new community outbreaks. No outbreaks in schools have been reported anywhere in B.C. so far.

The last time B.C. broke its daily case record was on Sept. 10, with 139 new cases.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, reminded people 50 people is an upper limit on gatherings. She added that just because you can fit 50 people in your small back garden doesn’t mean you should.

She said that living with COVID-19 requires some give and take.

“This give and take is not easy. It is what will keep us safe and functioning in the weeks ahead,” Henry said.

“This is going to be our most challenging year,”

Henry is urging people to limit their social life. She said spending time with different friends on different days means we are exposed to many different groups. When planning activities, ask yourself whether people are part of your safe six, she said.

Health Minister Adrian Dix also reminded people to “stick to six.”

“Stick to physical distancing, regular hand-washing, wearing a mask, and stick to six. Our safe six. Stick with the guidance that Dr. Bonnie Henry gives us,” he said.

Henry also said there was some “exciting” news Thursday.

Children in B.C. now have an alternative to the nasal swab that’s used for testing, Henry said.

Kids can now be tested using a saline solution that is swished around the mouth and then collected in a tube — a “Made-in-B.C.” solution.

Earlier Thursday, the B.C. government announced its economic recovery plan as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The plan earmarks $417 million to support jobs and training, including $300 million to hire new health-care workers.

Premier John Horgan’s government has also announced funding for the tourism industry, food security, climate action, and technology and innovation.

If there is a confirmed COVID-19 case in a school, public health contacts affected school community members directly. Regional health authorities also post school notifications on their websites, providing the date and type of notification (outbreak, cluster or exposure) for impacted schools.

The Island Health school site can be found here.

B.C. has posted detailed information about the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases from January to July 2020. This map will be continually updated, according to B.C. health officials.

Geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases in B.C. from January to July 2020. (Province of BC) cases in B.C. from January to July 2020.

Geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases in B.C. from January to July 2020. (Province of BC)

Island Health’s COVID-19 data breaks down North, Central and South Island case counts and lists the number of days since any new lab-diagnosed cases. You can find the data here along with any public exposures.

To see B.C.’s COVID-19 numbers by day and health authority, along with testing numbers and recoveries, visit the B.C. COVID-19 dashboard.  The numbers are updated at 4:30 p.m. PT each weekday.

To see a list of all provincial public COVID-19 exposures in the province, including links to exposures listed on health authority websites, visit the B.C. Centre for Disease Control website (CDC) here.

Here are the latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 3:42 p.m. pDT on Sept. 17, 2020:

There are 140,867 confirmed cases in Canada (0 presumptive, 140,867 confirmed including 9,200 deaths, 123,071 resolved)

  • Quebec: 66,356 confirmed (including 5,791 deaths, 58,012 resolved)
  • Ontario: 45,676 confirmed (including 2,825 deaths, 40,424 resolved)
  • Alberta: 16,274 confirmed (including 254 deaths, 14,537 resolved)
  • British Columbia: 7,663 confirmed (including 220 deaths, 5,719 resolved)
  • Saskatchewan: 1,757 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,624 resolved)
  • Manitoba: 1,500 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 1,191 resolved)
  • Nova Scotia: 1,086 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,020 resolved)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: 271 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 266 resolved)
  • New Brunswick: 194 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 189 resolved)
  • Prince Edward Island: 57 confirmed (including 56 resolved)
  • Yukon: 15 confirmed (including 15 resolved)
  • Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved)
  • Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved)
  • Nunavut: No confirmed cases

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has surpassed 30 million, with more than 943,000 deaths.

Watch Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix on Sept. 17 below: 

With files from The Canadian Press and CBC

 

Alexa HuffmanAlexa Huffman

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