Health
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia:
“Today, we are reporting on three periods: Jan. 22 to 23 we had 527 new cases, Jan. 23 to 24 we had 471 new cases and in the last 24 hours we had a further 346 new cases.
“This results in a total of 1,344 new cases, including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 64,828 cases in British Columbia.
“There are 4,392 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 328 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 68 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
“Currently, 6,607 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 57,831 people who tested positive have recovered.
“Since we last reported, we have had 314 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 618 new cases in the Fraser Health region, 73 in the Island Health region, 234 in the Interior Health region, 104 in the Northern Health region and one new case of a person who resides outside of Canada.
“As part of provincial monitoring of COVID-19, we have confirmed six cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in B.C. since the start of the pandemic. Health-care teams continue to monitor and test all children and teens who have symptoms.
“To date, 119,850 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 3,193 of which are second doses. Immunization data is available on the COVID-19 dashboard: www.bccdc.ca
“As a result of the limited supply of vaccine in the next two weeks, we will be delaying second doses until day 42, until we have assurance that vaccine supply has fully resumed. This is about doing our best to give as many people as possible the protection of a first dose.
“There have been 26 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,154 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have one new health-care facility outbreak at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. The outbreaks at Avalon Gardens, Bradden Private Hospital, Fraserview Intermediate Care Lodge, Good Samaritan Delta View Care Centre, Menno Home, Peace Arch Hospital Foundation Lodge, Sunrise of Vancouver, The Harrison at Elim Village, Waterford Retirement Residence and Williams Lake Seniors Village are now over.
“There has also been one new outbreak at the Surrey Emergency Response Centre.
“In the last couple of weeks, we have plateaued at about 500 new cases of COVID-19 a day. And, while the number of long-term care outbreaks has slowed, we continue to see new outbreaks in hospitals and in the community.
“This may seem stable to some, but it is a precarious situation for all of us. This shows us that while we are slowing the spread in long-term care, the risks remain high because the virus continues to circulate in our communities.
“We are at the threshold of where we were in November when cases started rapidly escalating, and we need to put a stop to this before more people become severely ill and our health-care system faces even more strain.
“Getting to the brighter days, easing the public health restrictions in our province relies on what we do now. That is why we need your help.
“We need everyone to remember that COVID-19 is still the unwelcome guest in our homes, at work and in our communities, and to take a step back; to stay home and stay away from others, and perhaps do more than what you have done before to slow the spread.
“Fewer cases is where we want to go in B.C., and we need your help to get there. Our goal for the next two weeks is to push the number of new cases in our province down as low as we can go.
“Let’s unite in this common goal. We have the tools and the resources to do just that, so let’s show each other that we can make this happen.”
Learn More:
For vaccine information, visit the BCCDC dashboard: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data
Or: www.bccdc.ca
For data regarding ongoing outbreaks in long-term care, assisted-living and independent-living facilities in B.C., visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data#outbreak
Mental health support, visit:
Mental health and anxiety support: www.bouncebackbc.ca
Or: www.anxietycanada.com
Or: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/mental-well-being-during-covid-19
Or:https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/mental-health-substance-use/virtual-supports-covid-19
The latest updates, guidance and information on COVID-19, and where to get tested, visit:
The latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and to find a testing centre near you: http://www.bccdc.ca/
Or follow @CDCofBC on Twitter.
Provincial health officer orders and guidance, visit:
Guidance on new restrictions: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions
Non-health related information, visit:
Financial, child care and education support, travel, transportation and essential service information: 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, visit:
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 Health: http://www.vch.ca/covid-19/public-exposures
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.
