B.C. health officials announced 105 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death Tuesday.
In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said there are 1,268 active cases of people infected with COVID-19 in B.C., down by nearly 200 from a week ago.
Sixty-nine people are in hospital, eight more than last Tuesday. Twenty are in intensive care.
The single death reported Tuesday occurred in the Fraser Health region, bringing the provincial total to 234.
Public health is actively monitoring 3,337 people across the province, who are in self-isolation due to COVID-19 exposure.
Henry announced that a new outbreak has been confirmed at the Haro Park Centre long-term care facility in Vancouver. This is not the first time the West End care centre has had a COVID-19 outbreak.
Right now, there are 14 outbreaks in long-term care or assisted-living facilities and three in acute-care facilities.
In Tuesday’s statement, Henry took a moment to again share some advice on what Thanksgiving should look like this year.
“We have had to change our special celebrations and gatherings to keep the people we care about safe,” she said.
“This same approach is how we need to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Rather than travelling to see friends or hosting a large family dinner, make it small this year and plan to connect virtually instead.”
She says this is a unique time and we need to discover new, safe ways to show our loved ones we care.
State of emergency
B.C. extended its provincial state of emergency Thursday, which allows health and emergency management officials to use extraordinary powers in the province’s pandemic response.
The new extension carries through until Oct. 13.
B.C. first announced a state of emergency back in March following Dr. Henry’s declaration of a public health emergency.
Meanwhile, cases in Quebec and Ontario have spiked to record highs this week. Experts believe that the numbers will continue to surge there over the next few weeks. The numbers have prompted some stricter measures in the most populated areas of the region.
