Another 287 new cases of COVID recorded in British Columbia today, with Northern Health closing in on the 400 mark for total cases to date

Wednesday was another day, like many others of the last few weeks which saw a spike upwards in new cases of COVID recorded in the province, as well as the sad news of two more passings from the coronavirus. 

A moment for British Columbians to pause and consider how they are approaching their own personal response to the growing levels of COVID-19.

Today's update from Dr. Bonnie Henry came by way of a statement issued late in the afternoon. 

“Today, we are reporting 287 new cases, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 13,875 cases in British Columbia. 

There are 2,316 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 5,358 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases, and 11,244 people who tested positive have recovered. 

Currently, 87 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, 25 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. 

“There have been two new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 261 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Across the province, the various Health Authorities have outlined the total number of cases found in their region since the pandemic arrived earlier this year.

Among the findings,  4,545 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 7,863 in the Fraser Health region, 253 in the Island Health region, 727 in the Interior Health region, 399 in the Northern Health region an increase of sixteen from the totals of Tuesday.

There have been 88 cases of COVID recorded from people who reside outside of Canada. 

With new public orders in place related to Social Gatherings, Doctor Henry expanded a bit further on how the province is viewing the way British Columbians should approach events such as weddings and birthdays.

“We can still spend time with our friends and family, but right now we must all keep to our ‘safe six’ only or take our events outside, where it is far easier to maintain a safe physical distance. 

Let’s save the parties for when it is safe for everyone to celebrate. If you are planning a wedding in your home, make it your immediate family only and save the celebration for next year. If you are organizing a birthday party for your children, only invite those small number of friends from your close social circle, not the entire class or sports team. 

The things we do at parties and celebrations including talking, hugging and eating and drinking together indoors are much riskier than our normal school or work activities. 

And unlike our schools and workplaces, most homes do not have space for everyone to keep a safe distance from others, nor do our homes have the layers of protection – the physical barriers, one-way pathways and the use of masks – that are part of school and work COVID-19 safety plans. 

Now is the time for us to take a step back from our in-person social events and gatherings, and connect virtually instead. This will help to protect our loved ones, our seniors, Elders and our communities as we move forward.”

You can review the COVID-19 report for Wednesday here.   

The BC Centre for Disease control has some valuable Coronavirus notes related to COVID-19 you can explore that information 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.

More from  Northern Health can be reviewed here 

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

Local governments and organizations have also provided for increased awareness of COVID-19 issues, those past advisories  can be reviewed here.

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

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