Covid-19 Update: 16 new infections in province, one new death

(Files by Catherine Garrett-MyPGNow)

There have been 16 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past day, for a total of 2,709 cases in British Columbia.

There have been no new infections in Northern Health; the region’s total has been corrected to 65 cases with one active.

Interior Health has also recorded one new infection, for a total of 196.

Of the total, 187 cases are active, and 2,354 people who tested positive have recovered.

12 individuals are hospitalized, three of whom are in intensive care.

There has been one new COVID-19 related death in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, for a total of 168 fatalities since the onset of the pandemic in BC.

In addition, there have been no health-care or community outbreaks, five long-term care and assisted living facilities continue to have active outbreaks.

There are also six ongoing community outbreaks.

“We have been monitoring our COVID-19 restart activities closely and are modifying our approach as we move forward. This includes amending the provincial health officer’s order for food and liquor service establishments to make restaurants and pubs safer for employees and patrons,” said Provincial Health Officer Doctor Bonnie Henry.

“The requirements for this sector have been adjusted in response to small clusters of new cases in businesses, as employees spend more time together and in recognition that a safe number of patrons is highly dependent on the amount of space within each location, not the restaurant capacity,” she explained.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 922 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,396 in the Fraser Health region, 130 in the Island Health region, 196 in the Interior Health region and 65 in the Northern Health region.

This includes a data correction of one less case in the Northern Health region.

“Food service owners need to remember that protecting your employees and patrons requires layers of protection in the kitchen and in the dining area. Plans need to include such things as frequent hand washing, increased cleaning, using barriers in kitchens and dining areas, and giving lots of space between tables,” Doctor Henry added.