COVID 19 Update for BC notes steps of preparation in the province

The Map tracking the spread of COVID-19 from
John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland

So far the larger danger for British Columbians from the global COVID 19 outbreak seems to be that of the spread of misinformation and panic; rather than actual cases of the virus which was first reported in the Wuhan province of China back in December of 2019.

With the virus expanding its reach in a rather fast pace in recent days, now found on all continents with the exception of Antarctica, the measures being taken in various countries varies depending on the severity of the outbreak.

The most recent update on the British Columbia continues to note that only seven cases have been confirmed in this province, with another six found in Ontario for a confirmed count of thirteen to date.

In their latest update delivered on Tuesday, Minster of Health Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry, the Provincial Health Officer observed that all BC patients continue to recover at home and under care by public health officials, with the first individual that was recorded in BC now having recovered.

The Province has taken note of the increasing count of patients found around the world and what the next stage of the outbreak may bring.

“In recent days, we have seen an increasing number of countries around the world with a growing number of cases. While the risk of spread of this virus within British Columbia remains low at this time, we are watching the global evolution of COVID-19 carefully and are focusing efforts on containing the spread of COVID-19 in B.C. and in Canada.

We are preparing for all possibilities that may occur in the coming weeks, including the possibility of a pandemic. A pandemic is the spread of an illness to a large number of people on a global scale. 

We are asking people to do their part in making sure they prevent transmission of infections to others in our communities and in our health-care system to best protect everyone in B.C."

The symptoms of COVID-19 which became the new name for the outbreak earlier this month are similar to flu it seems, with a fever, cough and respiratory problems the main elements.

There currently is no vaccine available to protect us against the infection and the current series of flu shots will not have any impact on this virus.

The precautions that you can take to prevent the spread of coronavirus can be reviewed here.

You can learn more about the outbreak from both the Province and the Federal government from the links below:

Federal Government site

British Columbia Government site

The World Health Organization website also offers up the latest advisories on the global situation.

With no cases of COVID-19 recorded in Northern BC to this point, for the most part, Northern Health is defaulting to the provincial information flow.

You can review our archive of past statements and local information here.

For notes from across Canada and British Columbia we have been archiving the latest items through our political portal Darcy McGee

Ottawa Observations

Victoria Viewpoints

Fore items of interest from Northern Health see our archive page here.