VICTORIA – Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Stephen Brown, deputy minister of health, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia:
“Today, we are announcing 115 new cases, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 9,956 cases in British Columbia.
“There are 1,387 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 3,042 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 8,296 people who tested positive have recovered.
“Currently, 72 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, 15 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 3,644 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 5,119 in the Fraser Health region, 222 in the Island Health region, 557 in the Interior Health region, 325 in the Northern Health region and 89 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.
“There have been no new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 244 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. The outbreak at Rideau Retirement Centre has been declared over. In total, 15 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and three acute-care facilities have active outbreaks.
“There have been no new community outbreaks, although there continue to be exposure events around the province. Public alerts and notifications are posted on the BC Centre for Disease Control’s (BCCDC) website and on all health authorities’ websites.
“As we come up to Thanksgiving this weekend, it’s important to remember while many things have changed and we have faced many challenges, we still have much to be thankful for.
“Let’s show our gratitude by doing a small kindness for a friend, neighbour or family member. Reaching out virtually or by phone, helping with a small task or a sending a care package tells people in your life and community that you care. We’re all in this together, and we have come this far by supporting each other while staying apart.
“Kindness counts. What we do today directly influences the well-being of our communities tomorrow, so let’s continue to do our part to protect ourselves and each other – each day and every day.”