Passengers on more than half a dozen recent Vancouver Island flights are being warned about possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.
The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has added eight Island flights to its COVID-19 exposure list in recent days.
The majority of flights either departed or arrived at Victoria International Airport, while three flights are linked to Nanaimo. The first flight in September — an Air Canada flight that departed Victoria and landed in Vancouver — to report an exposure was among the eight flights added to the list.
This latest round of exposures brings the total number of Island flights with confirmed cases onboard to 127 for the year. Last month alone saw a combined 38 exposures, which is the highest monthly total for the year.
The eight flights with exposures are listed below:
– Air Canada/Jazz 8068 from Victoria to Vancouver on Sept. 1 (affected rows 11-17)
– Pacific Coastal Airlines 715 from Vancouver to Campbell River on Aug. 31 (affected rows 4-10)
– WestJet 3260 from Victoria to Kelowna on Aug. 29 (affected rows 2-8)
– Air Canada/Jazz 8257 from Vancouver to Nanaimo on Aug. 28 (affected rows 7-13)
– Air Canada/Jazz 8265 from Vancouver to Nanaimo on Aug. 28 (affected rows 7-13)
– WestJet 3119 from Kelowna to Victoria on Aug. 26 (affected rows 2-8)
– Air Canada/Jazz 8266 from Nanaimo to Vancouver on Aug. 23 (affected rows 7-13)
– Swoop 425 from Victoria to Toronto on Aug. 19 (affected rows not reported)
The BCCDC has resumed notifying the public over social media about flight exposures following a brief hiatus.
Those who were on a flight that has been added to the province’s COVID-19 exposure list should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days and those who were sitting in rows identified are considered to be at a higher risk of exposure due to their proximity, says the BCCDC.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, chills, cough or worsening of chronic cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of sense of smell or taste, runny nose, headache and fatigue.
MORE: BCCDC quietly adds over 200 flights to its COVID exposure list in less than a month
Nicholas Pescod
