British Columbia health officials have recorded 68 new cases over the last 24 hours, including three new cases in Island Health.
Four of the new cases in B.C. 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.
Of the three new cases in Island Health, one is in the southern Vancouver Island area and two are in the central Vancouver Island area.
Island Health’s COVID-19 numbers as of Aug. 27 (Island Health)
One new death from COVID-19 was reported in B.C. in long-term care on Thursday, bringing B.C.’s COVID-19 death toll to 204.
B.C. has had a total of 5,372 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, including 173 in Island Health, 1,737 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 2,818 in Fraser Health, 429 in Interior Health, 137 in Northern Health and 78 among people who reside outside of Canada (visitors and temporary foreign workers.
There are 906 active cases in B.C. and 4,253 people have recovered. Fourteen active cases are in Island Health.
A total of 2,810 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases, an increase of 80 from Aug. 26.
Health Minister Adrian Dix addressed the call volume for tests in Island Health on Thursday, saying the week ending Aug. 9, the average volume was 438 calls, the weekend ending Aug. 16, the call volume was 690.83 and the week ending Aug. 23, the average volume was 543.1. This week, the numbers are down to 346 on Aug. 24, 351 and Aug. 27, and 372 on Aug. 26.
“In response to this, Island Health is actively recruiting staff, extending offers, as I understand it, to 45 individuals and recruitment continues.
Dix said this week, Island Health has more than doubled the number of nurses answering calls. The call abandonment rate was 70 per cent on Aug. 17 but is now seven per cent on Aug. 26, Dix said.
There are 22 people with COVID-19 in hospital (up one from Aug. 26), with seven in intensive care (no change from Aug. 26).
B.C. also announced one new community outbreak near Elkford, B.C. at a construction site in the Interior Health Region.
Henry said the outbreak was detected after the workers had returned to their homes. According to Henry, seven have tested positive. Six of them are in Alberta and one worker is in the health authority in B.C.
There are no new healthcare outbreaks as of Thursday.
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.
“Virtually every part of our province has been touched by COVID-19,” said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Henry said the province is now at a point where there is enough data of COVID-19 cases where B.C. can show more narrow areas of where those cases are within health authorities without compromising patient confidentiality.
“We want to give as much information as we can to everybody so they can know about cases without compromising confidentiality,” Henry said.
“We’re now at the point where we have a sufficient numbers of cases by a smaller geographic area. So it does give you a sense of where people who have been affected with COVID or have been diagnosed COVID live.”
Geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases in B.C. from January to July 2020. (Province of BC)
Also for the first time on Thursday, B.C. health officials reported eight suspected cases of Kawasaki disease among children.
Henry said there’s no evidence the Kawasaki disease cases are linked to the virus but it’s important to have the information before school starts in September. None of the children have tested positive for COVID-19 and all have recovered.
Kawasaki disease is a rare multisystem inflammatory vasculitis in children that may be triggered
by some viral and bacterial infections. There have been reports of an increase in Kawasaki disease-like illness from areas with high rates of circulating COVID-19.
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.
According to data released by Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, the number of global COVID-19 cases is more than 24.2 million, with more than 828,000 deaths.
Watch Dr. Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix on Aug. 27, 2020 below:
More to come
With files from CBC
Alexa Huffman
