There are 86 new cases of COVID-19 in BC since Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 970 — of which 472 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority region. There have also been two additional deaths due to the virus in the last 48 hours.
As the province enters its second two-week incubation period, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix focused today’s briefing on some of the measures aimed at ensuring there is enough health care capacity to deal with the increasing numbers of patients who will require hospitalization.
There are currently 106 people hospitalized in BC due to COVID-19 and 60 of those people are in critical care.
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The province has now designated 19 hospitals across BC as COVID-19-primary care sites geared towards caring for the most critical patients with the virus. Province-wide, there are now over 4,200 vacant acute care beds ready for patients who require hospitalization.
In addition, health authorities across the province have begun setting up off-hospital care sites that can house less acute patients, freeing up more space for virus patients if need be. The Vancouver Convention Centre is in the process of being converted into one such off-hospital site.
More personal protective equipment (PPE) has also arrived in the province following discussion last week of a supply situation that Henry characterized as “tenuous.” Today, the province took delivery of a shipment of one million surgical masks. It has also received shipments of additional PPE like gowns from other suppliers over the past few weeks.
Dix stressed that the province is continuing to work hard to source more PPE to ensure health care workers can remain protected.
As the number of hospitalizations rises, Henry emphasized the importance of continuing to practice physical distancing measures so the health system does not become overwhelmed.
“This is the critical time for us,” she said. “We are not through the storm yet. We have not yet reached our peak.”
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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