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

Today, we are reporting 30 new cases, including one epi-linked case since we reported on Monday, for a total of 3,328 cases in British Columbia.

There are 266 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,873 people who tested positive have recovered.

Of the total COVID-19 cases, 15 individuals are hospitalized, three of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,043 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,731 in the Fraser Health region, 140 in the Island Health region, 291 in the Interior Health region, 69 in the Northern Health region and 54 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

There is a data correction in the overall number of total and active cases.

There have been no new COVID-19 related deaths for a total of 189 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. In total, one long-term care facility and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks.

There are several community exposure events and one active community outbreak. Public health teams are actively contact tracing and requesting the assistance of anyone who may have been exposed to monitor themselves closely and follow public health guidance.

As we have seen in many other places, a few missteps can quickly result is a significant resurgence in new cases of COVID-19.

Here in B.C., our curve is trending upward, and we need to bend our curve back down to where it belongs.

Many of the new cases are a result of community transmission from an increase in social interactions this summer. This trend is a concern, but we can turn this trend around.

We are in a very different place than where we were in March, and everyone in B.C. has proven that we know what it takes to flatten our curve and make sure our communities stay safe.

We can stop transmission by seeing fewer people, only spending time with people we know, keeping a safe distance from others and using a mask when that is difficult. Let’s continue to follow these rules for safe social interactions.

We also need to support contact tracing efforts by paying attention to where we go and who we see, and always, without exception, staying home if we are feeling at all unwell.

The recent community cases have meant that some restaurants, wineries and recreational facilities in the Okanagan and Lower Mainland have been notified of a potential exposure with some employees, or have had employees who are confirmed positive for COVID-19.

We commend the businesses who have proactively notified the public and temporarily closed for additional cleaning. This is a clear example of how we can contain the risk when it is known, slow the spread and continue to operate safely.

Let’s play safe and stay safe, and make sure COVID-19 doesn’t spoil our summer. Let’s put out these hot spots and keep our firewall strong.

Lead image: Fairmont Hot Springs has a message for frontline workers. Carrie Schafer/e-KNOW photo

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