B.C. health officials are reporting 81 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 72 hours, including one new case in Island Health.
Seven 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.
Of the 81 new cases, there were 36 new cases from Friday to Saturday, 21 new cases from Saturday to Sunday and 24 new cases from Sunday to Monday.
There have been two additional deaths. Both were residents in long-term care in Vancouver Coastal Health. The death toll is now at 193.
There have been now been 143 cases in Island Health since the pandemic began. There have also been 1,064 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 1,800 in Fraser Health, 353 in Interior Health, 80 in Northern Health and 60 among residents outside of Canada (e.g. visitors and temporary foreign workers).
There are 264 active cases in the province and 3.043 people have recovered. Eleven people with COVID-19 are in hospital (down one from July 24) with three in intensive care.
There are now 14 cases associated with the outbreak on Haida Gwaii and there is one new outbreak at Fraser Valley Packing, a blueberry packing plant in the Abbotsford area. Fifteen cases are associated with that outbreak.
On Haida Gwaii, the transmission is still being investigated. Henry said the latest case is believed to be like the other 13 cases, which are all linked to local residents and off-island travel.
Eighty-six cases now linked to public gatherings and parties in the Kelowna area.
There are no new healthcare outbreaks. And there are now more than 1,010 people self-isolating due to exposure to COVID-19.
Cases have been increasing since the province entered Phase 3 of its gradual reopening in late June. Health officials had warned cases could go up as people expanded their social interactions.
The 81 new cases over the three-day reporting period since Friday mark a slight decrease from the average of 30 cases a day the province was seeing last week.
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Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, described last week in B.C. as a “turning point.” She has once again asked the public to pull back on social interactions, and “recommit” to physical distancing.
The order on mass gatherings has been amended to limit the number of people in short-term vacation rentals (e.g. AirBnbs, house boats). The number of people is limited to the capacity of the space up to a maximum of five visitors. There is still a 50-person gathering limit in place but the amendments address where a 50-person maximum does not apply.
The owners of the rentals are required to make sure the numbers do not go over the maximum and contact information from visitors and renters must be collected.
Meantime, an online list from the BCCDC listing possible coronavirus exposures stemming from flights involving Vancouver has grown to 13 since June 3.
To see B.C.’s COVID-19 numbers by day and health authority, along with testing numbers and active cases, visit the B.C. COVID-19 dashboard.
According to researchers with Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide is more than 16.3 million, with more than 650,000 deaths.
Watch Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister Adrian Dix on July 27, 2020.
With files from CBC
Alexa Huffman
