There are 45 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 new deaths from the virus in BC since Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 1,490. Of those cases, 650 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority region.
There are currently 137 people with the virus who are hospitalized and 58 in critical care.
In today’s briefing, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provided an update on the three community outbreaks currently ongoing in the province.
There is one new case of the virus related to the outbreak at a West Kelowna nursery. The total number of positive cases among nursery workers is now up to 20. As of yet, there are no new cases at the Okanagan Correctional Centre, where so far one inmate has tested positive for the virus.
There are now 35 total cases of COVID-19 at the federal correctional facility in Mission, 8 of whom are hospitalized. Henry acknowledged that both federal and provincial authorities are “playing catch-up” with the outbreak in that facility, but assured that the province is working closely to support relevant federal authorities in managing that outbreak.
Over the weekend, the province issued a ban on open fires throughout much of BC that will take effect at noon on April 16. The measure is aimed at minimizing threats to air quality and preventing any further aggravation of respiratory health.
Henry also confirmed today that the province will be utilizing the new rapid testing kits that were recently approved for use by the federal government. They will be particularly useful in communities where transporting testing materials can be a challenge, she said.
Both Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix continued to stress today that everyone must remain steadfast in their commitment to public health orders in order to continue to flatten the epidemic curve in BC.
“It is so important for all of us to keep going with everything that we are doing now,” Henry said. “It is holding us, it is holding our line, it is allowing us to deal with these issues in a way that is the best that we can do for our province.”
A previous version of this article said there were 45 new cases today. The 45 new cases actually reflect the 48-hour period since the last provincial briefing on Saturday and the article has been updated to reflect that.
Stay up to date on UBC information related to COVID-19 by visiting ubyssey.ca/covid-19, the websites of the BCCDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada or the World Health Organization. The province has set up a dedicated COVID-19 phone line at 1-888-COVID19 or text at 1-888-268-4319. For updates on UBC’s response to COVID-19, visit ubc.ca/campus-notifications/
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