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 640 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 44,103 cases in British Columbia.

“There are 9,950 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 362 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, 91 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.

“Currently, 10,538 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 32,376 people who tested positive have recovered.

“Since we last reported, we have had 98 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 399 new cases in the Fraser Health region, five in the Island Health region, 91 in the Interior Health region, 47 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

“Yesterday, 409 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were given to B.C. front-line health-care workers. Starting next week, the province will receive weekly vaccine deliveries for clinics in every health region throughout the province. Specific timing will be provided once confirmed.

“There have been 24 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 692 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have had one new health-care facility outbreak at Sunrise of Vancouver. The outbreaks at Sun Pointe Village, Gateway Lodge and the University Hospital of Northern BC are over. There have been no new community outbreaks.

“We can all be a part of B.C.’s COVID-19 response team – the team that is pulling together and making a difference through this difficult time. Our team is made of hundreds of thousands of people throughout B.C. who are doing their part – at work, at school and at home.

“Let’s ensure we are using our layers of protection and following all of the public health orders, which is more important than ever right now, especially during the holiday season.

“Many people have already made the commitment to make their holiday celebrations safe celebrations – by staying small and connecting virtually instead. There are countless creative ways for us to have those important connections and also protect our communities and the people we care for most. Let’s continue to do our part and break the chain of transmission in B.C.”

Learn More:

For updated provincial health officer's (PHO) orders and new guidance:

For details on new restrictions, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions

For updated PHO 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

Find out where to get tested:

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, anxiety and other supports:

For mental health and anxiety support, visit: www.bouncebackbc.ca
Or: www.anxietycanada.com
Or visit the BCCDC for further supports: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/mental-well-being-during-covid-19

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

People in BC 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 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.

COVID-19 exposure events, updates and information by health authority:

BCCDC (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 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.