Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, said there are 42 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including one additional death.
The death is linked to the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver and there are now 14 COVID-19 related deaths in total. However, there are no new cases confirmed at the Lynn Valley Care Centre.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in B.C. is now at 659. There is another long-term care home with a case: a healthcare worker at the Broadway Pentecostal Lodge in Vancouver.
The outbreak at Haro Park Centre in Vancouver is also getting worse. Henry said 28 residents and 27 staff members have now tested positive.
A total of 55 health-care workers have tested positive in connection to outbreaks at long-terms care centres.
On Vancouver Island, there are a total of 47 cases. There are also 339 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 218 Fraser Health, 46 in Interior Health and nine in Northern Health.
There are 26 people with COVID-19 in ICU and 183 people have recovered. Henry said most of the ICU cases are people over 60. There has been one hospitalization of a person under the age of 10.
Henry said people need to make sure they are not gathering together, even in small groups of three or four people.
“We need to have a safe space between us for the next little while,” Henry said.
Henry said the cases being confirmed today are still reflecting
exposures that happened two to 14 days ago.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control this time, the available information suggests the incubation period is up to 14 days. The incubation period is the time from when a person is first exposed until symptoms appear.
Henry said next week will be when health officials will be able to see if physical distancing is bringing the COVID-19 cases down.
During her daily briefing Wednesday, Henry also expressed concerns about a possible spread of COVID-19 in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Henry says many residents in the impoverished community have underlying health conditions and may be more vulnerable to having severe illness from the virus.
She says they have plans in place to manage and protect those living in the community, including how to help them isolate and care for those who are ill.
You can watch Dr. Bonnie Henry provide her daily update below
On Wednesday, British Columbia government announced it is suspending evictions and offering a $500 monthly rebate to help renters and landlords during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier John Horgan says the government is also imposing a freeze on rent increases.
Horgan says many tenants have lost their jobs and are worried they won’t be able to pay their rent and they should not be forced out when health officials are telling them to stay at home.
The money will be paid directly to landlords on the behalf of renters for the next four months.
Horgan says while he knows $500 doesn’t go a long way to covering the cost of most rents, there are other government programs that will also help with those costs.
With files from The Canadian Press and CBC
CHEK News
