British Columbia reported a record daily rise in COVID-19 infections on Friday, with 124 cases reported over a 24-hour period.
However, Island Health only has one new case. The health authority has now had 174 cases since the start of the pandemic. The new case is in the southern Vancouver Island region. There are 14 active cases in Island Health and no hospitalizations.
Island Health COVID-19 numbers as of Aug. 28, 2020 (Island Health)
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, issued Friday’s numbers in a statement, saying B.C. has now had a total of 5,496 cases since the start of the pandemic.
Of the new cases announced Friday, one is epidemiologically-linked, meaning a person who was never tested but presumed to have COVID-19 because they developed symptoms and were close contacts of a laboratory-confirmed case.
There are 974 active cases of COVID-19 in the province (also a record high), 2,796 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases (a decrease of 14 from Aug. 26), and 4,310 people who tested positive since the start of the pandemic have recovered.
Twenty-three people are hospitalized with COVID-19 (an increase of one from Aug 26), seven of whom are in intensive care.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,791 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 2,878 in the Fraser Health region, 174 in the Island Health region, 433 in the Interior Health region, 142 in the Northern Health region and 78 cases of people who reside outside of Canada (visitors and temporary foreign workers).
No new deaths were reported on Friday. B.C.’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 204. There were also no new healthcare outbreaks or community outbreaks.
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Nine long-term care or assisted-living facilities and two acute-care facilities in B.C. have active outbreaks. They are:
- Holy Family Hospital long-term care facility in Vancouver Coastal Health
- Bear Creek Villa independent living facility in Fraser 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
- MSA Manor long-term care facility (second outbreak) in Fraser Health
- New Vista Care Home long-term care facility in Fraser Health
“COVID-19 requires new ways of living our lives with new precautions and routines for ourselves and our families, whether at home, work, school or when spending time with others,” Henry and Dix wrote in Friday’s statement.
“This includes keeping our numbers of contacts low, especially at indoor parties and events, whether in a hall or in our own home. We have seen transmission from even small events, and the last thing we want to do is pass COVID-19 to those we are closest to.
“This weekend, let’s remember to use the layers of protection that keep ourselves and those around us safe. This is also a good time to think about the new routines that will be part of our activities into the fall.
“The efforts we make today make the difference for all of us tomorrow, so let’s renew our commitment to doing what we can to keep our province and ourselves safe.”
On Thursday, for the first time, B.C. released more detailed information about the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases. 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)
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.
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.
Under Island Health, there are three possible public exposures listed. Anyone who was at the following locations on the following dates and times is asked to self-monitor for symptoms.
- Mary’s Bleue Moon Cafe at 9535 Canora Road, Sidney, B.C. The dates and times provided by Island Health are Aug. 21 between 4 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. and Aug. 22 between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. OR between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- 10 Acres Cafe & Market at the Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa (NOT The Pier restaurant) at 9805 Seaport Place, Sidney, B.C. The dates and times provided by Island Health are Aug. 20 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Aug. 21 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Il Falcone Restaurant 536 6th Street Courtenay, B.C. The date and times are Aug. 16 between 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 6:20 p.m. EDT on Aug. 28, 2020:
There are 127,358 confirmed cases in Canada (0 presumptive, 127,358 confirmed including 9,108 deaths, 113,234 resolved).
- Quebec: 62,124 confirmed (including 5,750 deaths, 55,106 resolved)
- Ontario: 41,935 confirmed (including 2,809 deaths, 38,023 resolved)
- Alberta: 13,476 confirmed (including 237 deaths, 12,054 resolved)
- British Columbia: 5,496 confirmed (including 204 deaths, 4,310 resolved)
- Saskatchewan: 1,611 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,543 resolved)
- Manitoba: 1,096 confirmed (including 14 deaths, 664 resolved)
- Nova Scotia: 1,083 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,013 resolved)
- Newfoundland and Labrador: 269 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 265 resolved)
- New Brunswick: 191 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 182 resolved)
- Prince Edward Island: 44 confirmed (including 41 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 released by Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, the number of global COVID-19 cases is more than 24.5 million. More than 833,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide.
With files from The Canadian Press
Alexa Huffman
