B.C. health officials reported 68 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. on Wednesday, including two new cases in Island Health.
The two new cases are in the South Island region.
COVID-19 numbers in Island Health on Aug. 19, 2020. (Island Health)
B.C. has now had a total of 4,745 cases in B.C. since the pandemic began. In Island Health, there have been a total of 158 cases since the start of the pandemic.
There are 798 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 2,452 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases (an increase of 126 from Tuesday), and 3,749 people who tested positive have recovered.
Ten people with COVID-19 are in hospital as of Wednesday (an increase of four from Aug. 18) and four are in intensive care (an increase of one from Aug 18.)
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Réka Gustafson, B.C.’s deputy provincial health officer released Wednesday’s numbers in a statement.
Elsewhere in B.C., since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,488 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 2,493 in the Fraser Health region, 411 in the Interior Health region, 120 in the Northern Health region and 75 cases of people who reside outside of Canada (temporary foreign workers and visitors).
No new deaths were reported on Wednesday. The COVID-19 death toll in B.C. remains at 198.
There have also been no new health-care facility outbreaks and no new community outbreaks.
The outbreak at Richmond Lions Manor has been declared over. In total, eight long-term care or assisted-living facilities and one acute-care facility have active outbreaks. They are:
- Arbutus Care Centre long-term care facility in Vancouver Coastal Health
- Holy Family Hospital long-term care facility in Vancouver Coastal Health
- Czorny Alzheimer Centre long-term care facility in Fraser Health
- Dania Home long-term care facility in Fraser Health
- Derby Manor long-term care facility in Fraser Health
- George Derby Centre long-term care facility in Fraser Health
- Maple Ridge Seniors Village assisted living facility in Fraser Health
- New Vista Care Home long-term care facility in Fraser Health
“Testing for COVID-19 is an important part of our provincial pandemic response. We continue to step up the capacity, in each health region and in our labs, to match our public health activities,” Dix and Gustafson said in Wednesday’s statement.
“Testing allows us to trace and contain the spread. The tests tell us who is positive for the virus, as well as how far the virus may have spread among close contacts when an outbreak or community cluster occurs.”
READ MORE: Vancouver Island sees increased demand, longer wait times for COVID-19 tests
Dix and Gustafson said they know that the demand for testing has gone up with the increase in new cases. New assessment and testing centres and extended hours of service have been added in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions to address increases in demand, Dix and Gustafson said, and B.C. has the ability to complete approximately 8,000 tests every day.
“Right now, anyone with symptoms can be tested, but it is important to remember the test is recommended only if you have symptoms,” Dix and Gustafson said.
“If you do develop symptoms, no matter how mild, your first step is to distance yourself from others and contact 811 or your health-care provider to arrange for an assessment. If public health has advised you to self-isolate because you have been exposed to COVID-19, please follow their advice. Even if you have no symptoms, a negative test does not mean you can shorten the period of self-isolation.”
They also once again reminded people who are younger that COVID-19 can be inadvertently passed onto someone who is more vulnerable.
“As a result, the best thing we can do is to protect ourselves and those we care about most by assessing the risks before we spend time with others and always using our layers of protection,” Dix and Gustafson said.
“COVID-19 has meant doing things we have never done before. But let’s not forget this is not forever, only for now. Let’s continue to stay strong and push our curve down to where it belongs.”
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 it here.
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 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 here.
Pacific Coastal Airlines also lists possible COVID-19 exposures on its website. The most recent is #8P715 (Vancouver > Campbell River > Comox) on Aug. 5. All customers and staff who were on the listed flights are advised to self-monitor for signs of cough, fever, or respiratory issues and to call their local health authorities if symptoms arise within 14 days.
According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, global COVID-19 cases are now more than 22.2 million. The global death toll is over 783,000.
Alexa Huffman
