Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, have today (May 23) issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia.

Today, we have 10 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 2,517 cases in British Columbia.

There are 303 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 2,057 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.

Of the total COVID-19 cases, 39 individuals are hospitalized, eight of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.

Every health region in British Columbia has patients with COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 890 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,244 in the Fraser Health region, 127 in the Island Health region, 194 in the Interior Health region and 62 in the Northern Health region.

We are saddened to report two new COVID-19 related deaths in the Fraser Health region for a total of 157 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to the family, friends, and caregivers of these individuals, as well as to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There have been no new health-care outbreaks in the last day. In total, 14 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and two acute-care units have active outbreaks.

There is one new community outbreak with five confirmed cases at Nature’s Touch, a frozen fruit processing plant in Abbotsford. Public health teams are providing support and the company has closed the plant as a precaution.

Public health teams continue to provide support for community outbreaks at the federal corrections facilities, at the Oppenheimer Group, those in the poultry sector and for individuals connected to the Kearl Lake plant in Alberta.

Finding new outbreaks tell us three things: first, gatherings of any kind, including workplaces, increase the risk of transmission; second, public health surveillance is working to quickly identify new cases; and third, we must continue with our restrictions in Phase 2.

We are on the right track and must keep going. The faster we can identify new cases, the easier it is to prevent the spread to others.

In every community in the province, our public health teams – our expert virus hunters – are working to test, trace and track the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses. These medical health officers, public health nurses, environmental health officers and licensing officers are integral to our COVID-19 response.

These teams work together to support us in our businesses and our homes, finding and isolating hot spots, and making sure people get the care and support they need, and do not inadvertently pass the virus on to others.

The risks of COVID-19 are clear, and so are the steps we need to take to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our elders and our communities. Staying vigilant and taking the necessary precautions at work and with our social interactions will keep all of us safe.

Lead image: The Fernie Aquatic Centre and water park, quiet on a normally busy weekend day. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW photo

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