217 new cases of COVID-19 reported in B.C., no new cases in Island Health

217 new cases of COVID-19 reported in B.C., no new cases in Island Health
Province of BC.
Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provides an update on COVID-19 on October 26, 2020.

British Columbia reported 217 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday but none of the new cases were in the Island Health region for the second day in a row.

Two of the new cases in the province 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.

There were no new COVID-19 deaths reported in the province in the last 24 hours. The province’s death toll remains at 259.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Stephen Brown, deputy minister of health, released Tuesday’s numbers in a joint statement.

B.C. has now had a total of 13,588 cases in British Columbia, including 250 in the Island Health region (no change from Oct. 26), 4,476 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region (48 more than Oct. 26), 7,674 in the Fraser Health region (145 more than Oct. 26), 717 in the Interior Health region (24 more than Oct. 26), 383 in the Northern Health region (no change from Oct. 26) and 88 cases of people who reside outside of Canada (visitors and temporary foreign workers).

There are 2,322 active cases of COVID-19 in the province (three fewer than Oct. 26), 5,101 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases (24 more than Oct.26) and 10,954 people who tested positive have recovered.

Eighty-four people are hospitalized with COVID-19 (seven more than Oct. 26), 27 of whom are in intensive care (one more than Oct. 26).

B.C. did a total of 5,157 tests in the last 24 hours. B.C.’s testing rate 114,724 per 100,000.

There have been two new health-care facility outbreaks at Felburn Care Centre and St. Michael’s Centre. In total, 21 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks. They are:

  • Haro Park Centre long-term care facility (second occurrence) in Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Royal Arch Masonic Home long-term care facility (second occurrence) in Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Three Links Care Centre long-term care facility in Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Banfield Pavilion 4 West long-term care facility in Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Agassiz Seniors Community in Fraser Health
  • Dr. Al Hogg Pavilion in Fraser Health
  • Amenida Seniors Community in Fraser Health
  • Baillie House long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • Evergreen Baptist Care Society long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • Fair Haven Homes Burnaby Lodge in Fraser Health
  • Fort Langley Seniors Community long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • Good Samaritan Victoria Heights assisted-living facility in Fraser Health
  • Laurel Place long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • Peace Portal Seniors Village long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • Queen’s Park Care Centre in Fraser Health
  • Rosemary Heights Seniors Village independent-, assisted- and long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • Sunset Manor assisted-living facility in Fraser Health
  • The Village assisted-living and long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • Zion Park Manor long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • Felburn Care Centre long-term care facility in Fraser Health
  • St. Michael’s Centre long-term care facility in Fraser Health

There have been no new community outbreaks.

“Always using our layers of protection reduces the potential for the virus to spread and is an important part of our COVID-19 response in B.C.,” Henry and Brown said in Tuesday’s statement.

“In addition to washing our hands often and staying home when ill, our protective layers include limiting our time with people outside of our household, keeping our groups small, giving people the space to stay safe and if that is challenging, using a non-medical mask.

“A mask is especially helpful in public indoor spaces where you don’t know the people around you and the risks they may have.

“As a result, the expectation is that masks will be worn within public areas of health-care facilities, shopping malls, grocery stores, community centres and other public spaces – as you enter, exit and move around.

“Public indoor spaces are quite different from our schools, offices and businesses that have established learning groups and work cohorts, supported by comprehensive COVID-19 safety plans.

“Getting through our COVID-19 storm requires all of us to do our part without exception, so let’s support each other to do the right thing today.”

Island Health

Island Health has eight active cases: three on southern Vancouver Island, four on central Vancouver Island and one on northern Vancouver Island.

There are no COVID-19 hospitalizations in Island Health and 236 people have recovered.

A total of 691 tests were done in the last 24 hours.

Southern Vancouver Island includes the Greater Victoria region, Southern Gulf Islands and the Port Renfrew area.

Central Vancouver Island includes the Cowichan Valley, Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville, Port Alberni and Tofino areas.

Northern Vancouver Island goes from the Comox Valley to Port Hardy but also includes surrounding areas like Alert Bay and Sointula.

Island Health's COVID-19 numbers on Oct. 27, 2020. (Island Health)

Island Health’s COVID-19 numbers on Oct. 27, 2020. (Island Health)

More COVID-19 information

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.

Island Health has one school exposure listed as of Oct. 22. The exposure is at Wood Elementary in Port Alberni on Oct. 19.

According to Island Health, if your child’s school has been notified of an exposure, no action is required unless you are contacted by Public Health or are otherwise directed by school officials.

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 September 2020. This map will be updated monthly, according to B.C. health officials.

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

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

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 ( BC CDC) here.

Also on Tuesday, Canada reached another grim milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic, surpassing 10,000 deaths connected to the novel coronavirus.

Canada crossed the threshold of 5,000 deaths on May 12, a little over two months after the first death was reported.

COVID-19 case counts slowed across the country through the summer, but have taken a big jump in many areas this fall, with new daily highs regularly being set through Central and Western Canada.

Care homes have been particularly hard hit with seniors at the greatest risk of severe forms of the infection.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted today that the COVID-19 pandemic “really sucks” but added that a vaccine is coming.

According to Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide is more than 43.8 million. More than 1.1 million deaths have been recorded.

Alexa HuffmanAlexa Huffman

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