4 more COVID-19 deaths in B.C., bringing death toll to 94

Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, said there have been four more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the B.C. death toll from the novel coronavirus to 94.

Three of the deaths were in Vancouver Coastal Health and one in Fraser Health.

As of Thursday, April 23, 2020, there have been 29 new test positive cases of COVID-19 in B.C., for a total of 1,824. This includes 111 in Island Health (one more than April 22), 755 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 760 in Fraser Health, 156 in Interior Health and 42 in Northern Health.

A total of 1,092 in the province have recovered. There are 103 in hospital (no change from April 22) and 44 in ICU (down two from April 22). B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said hospitalizations are down from a peak of 149.

There is a new community outbreak at the Superior Poultry Plant in Coquitlam. Henry said two workers at Superior Poultry Processors Ltd. in Coquitlam have the virus.

She says the plant is the sister facility to another one in Vancouver owned by United Poultry Co. Ltd., where 29 staff members have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Thursday’s numbers also include another outbreak at a long-term care home in the B.C. Interior, and two new outbreaks at acute care units at Ridge Meadows and Lions Gate hospitals.

Ten outbreaks at other long-term care homes have been declared over. To date there have been 347 cases in long-term care, assisted living and acute care units.

And a total of 78 people have now test positive at Mission Institution.

Henry said the peak of the epidemic in B.C. is the halfway point and the province is at or past that point. She said there needs to be a manageable number of new cases, not zero new cases to start opening up the economy.

The province is coming up with new public health orders for industries how sites should be run.

“This is not forever. It is for now,” Henry said about the measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“Now may be months, it may be a year. Now is not the time to tip the scales against us with careless action.”

She also said it will important to be careful about living with COVID-19 without B.C. getting in trouble.

“A misstep in the wrong direction puts us all at risk,” Henry said.

Dix said the province neds to reboot B.C. without rebooting the virus.

Earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said we are failing our parents and grandparents in long-term care homes.

Trudeau says the government is sending the military to help in long-term care homes in Ontario and Quebec.

But he says it should never have come to this, and there are tough questions to be asked once the crisis is over.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in long-term care homes has outraged many Canadians and Trudeau says that outrage is not misplaced.

To see a breakdown of the latest COVID-19 numbers in B.C., visit the BC Centre for Disease Control COVID-19 dashboard. 

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have recorded more than 2.6 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide with more than 187,000 deaths.

Watch the latest news conference with Dr. Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix below:

With files from The Canadian Press and CBC

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