Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia:

“Today, we are reporting 911 new cases of COVID-19, including four epi-linked cases in the last 24 hours, for a total of 30,844 cases in British Columbia.

“There are 301 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 69 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.

“Currently, 10,430 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 21,304 people who tested positive have recovered.

“Since yesterday, we have had 153 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 649 in the Fraser Health region, 27 in the Island Health region, 47 in the Interior Health region, 35 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

“There have been 11 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 395 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have had three new health-care facility outbreaks at German Canadian Benevolent Society Home, Villa Cathay and Morgan Place Care. The Kiwanis Care Centre outbreak is over. There have been no new community outbreaks.

“We are in the eye of the COVID-19 storm and are now facing a storm surge with increasing community transmission across our province. No community or location is immune.

“We have had to step back to protect our communities from this surge, which means locations, activities and gatherings that were safe a few weeks ago are less safe today.

“It is important to note that in many cases, including at temples, churches and gurdwaras, the places themselves are not the cause for concern as they are not doing anything wrong. It is our level of risk that has gone up, which means our ability to have any safe gathering right now has gone down.

“That is why we all need to do our part so we can bring community transmission down and safely resume those activities that are meaningful to our daily lives.

“Let’s remind ourselves about the severity of this illness and that small, simple actions make a very big difference.

“If you are thinking about your holiday shopping, especially on Black Friday, please remember to bring your mask, keep your distance and wash your hands often. As much as possible, limit your travel and shop locally. Support the businesses in your community.

“Every storm ends, and with it, the risks diminish. Let’s protect each other and make this weekend safe for all of us.”

Learn More:

For information on overdoses, visit: https://www.stopoverdose.gov.bc.ca

People in B.C. experiencing violence can access VictimLink, a toll-free, confidential multilingual service available 24/7 by calling or texting 1 800 563-0808 or emailing: VictimLinkBC@bc211.ca

For more details on the provincial health officer’s (PHO) Nov. 19 orders, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/covid19

Nov. 12, 2020, modeling update:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/modelling-projections

For the PHO's orders, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

To see a map of COVID-19 cases by local health area, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data

If you are experiencing symptoms, find a collection centre near you to get tested: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/testing

For mental health and anxiety support, visit: www.bouncebackbc.ca
Or: www.anxietycanada.com

For a listing of the community exposure events, go to:

BC Centre for Disease Control (flights, work sites, etc.): http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/public-exposures
Fraser Health: fraserhealth.ca/covid19exposure
Interior Health: https://news.interiorhealth.ca/news/public-exposures/
Island Health: https://www.islandhealth.ca/learn-about-health/covid-19/outbreaks-and-exposures
Northern Health: https://www.northernhealth.ca/health-topics/outbreaks-and-exposures
Vancouver Coastal: http://www.vch.ca/covid-19/public-exposures

For the latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and testing, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/
Or follow @CDCofBC on Twitter.

For non-health related information, including financial, child care and education supports, travel, transportation and essential service information, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/covid19
Or call 1 888 COVID19 (1 888 268-4319) between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. (Pacific time), seven days a week.

For the latest videos and livestreaming of COVID-19 media availabilities, visit:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BCProvincialGovernment/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCGovNews
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ProvinceofBC

A backgrounder follows.