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 COVID-19 response in British Columbia:
“Today, we are reporting on three periods. From May 28 to May 29, we had 258 new cases. From May 29 to May 30, we had 238 new cases and in the last 24 hours, we had a further 212 new cases.
“This results in a total of 708 new cases, for a total of 144,289 cases in British Columbia.
“There are 2,953 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and a further 139,562 people who tested positive have recovered.
“Of the active cases, 249 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 78 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
“Since we last reported, we have had 140 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 394 new cases in the Fraser Health region, 18 in the Island Health region, 113 in the Interior Health region, 42 in the Northern Health region and one new case of a person who resides outside of Canada.
“There have been 11 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,703 deaths in British Columbia. Our condolences are with the family, friends and caregivers of the people who have died as a result of COVID-19.
“We have one new health-care facility outbreak at Richmond Lions Manor-Bridgeport (Vancouver Coastal Health). The outbreaks at Lions Gate Hospital and Chartwell Carlton Care are now over.
“3,250,161 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 179,954 of which are second doses. This means 69.7% of all adults and 66.1% of those 12 and older have received their first dose.
“While we are making significant headway in our immunization efforts, this is a time of caution for all of us. New strains continue to circulate and outbreaks are still occurring in all regions of the province.
“Immunizations are an extremely effective tool. But it takes time for them to fully protect us, which is why it is important we all stay vigilant to prevent further virus transmission in our communities.
“Registering with the Get Vaccinated immunization system is the fastest way to get your first and second doses. Anyone who received their vaccine prior to April 15 is asked to please register today, if you have not already done so. If you are unsure, complete the two-minute registration process and the system will immediately confirm your registration.
“This past weekend, almost 300,000 people in B.C. were booked for their second booster dose – another encouraging and necessary step for all of us to maximize our protection for the maximum amount of time.
“While there is much that is positive and encouraging on the horizon with the COVID-19 vaccination progress, we pause and mourn the 215 children whose remains were found at the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
“We stand with the families of children buried at Indian Residential Schools and honour the strength and resilience of those who survived.
“Let’s take this time of sadness to connect with our children, our grandchildren and families to honour those we have lost.”
Learn More:
BC's Restart plan:
To see the May 25, 2021, presentation, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BCRestartPlan.pdf
The latest vaccine information:
Register for your vaccine now: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register or call 1-833-838-2323.
For vaccine information, visit the BCCDC dashboard: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data Or: www.bccdc.ca
Provincial health officer's orders and guidance:
To see the May 20, 2021, presentation, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/20210520_PHO-Presentation.pdf
Guidance on restrictions: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions
The latest updates, guidance and information on COVID-19, and where to get tested:
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.
Mental health support:
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
Non-health related information:
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
Two backgrounders follow.