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BC COVID-19 count exceeds 4,000

By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Published 3:50 PDT, Mon August 10, 2020

Last Updated: 4:00 PDT, Mon August 10, 2020

There are now 4,065 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in BC. 

Fifty of the cases were recorded between Friday and Saturday, 37 between Saturday and Sunday and 44 since Sunday. The weekend total was 131 new cases over the last three days, including one epi-linked case. ‘Epi-linked’ means that public health investigations have shown that cases meet the case definition for COVID-19 but may not have been tested for a number of reasons.

Almost 450 of those are active cases, the highest number in weeks. But the number of hospitalized people and those in intensive care has decreased slightly since Friday.

There were no new deaths. There were also no new community outbreaks, but more community exposure events continue to occur and are listed on health authority websites.

However, there were two new healthcare outbreaks in the Fraser Health region. There are now eight active outbreaks in the healthcare system across the province.

Because of exposure, 1,765 people throughout BC are currently self-isolating and being watched by public health. Many of the recent cases are in young people between age 20 and 39, said Health Minister Adrian Dix. 

Most people who have tested positive recently were among people currently isolating, meaning they were isolated when they developed the illness, which provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said is a good thing.

Group gatherings with inconsistent social circles, as well as not maintaining a safe distance, continues to be a major risk factor in BC.

“If your friends invite you to a party and it doesn’t feel right, don’t go,” said Henry. “There’s no better excuse than a global pandemic to do the right thing and encourage your friends to do the right thing too.”

She also addressed the return to school, which has been a topic of discussion over the last several weeks. 

“Schools will look different. We have to put aside what classes were like in March or even in June,” said Henry.

She added that it’s normal for parents to feel anxious and uncertain at this time. Layers of protection at grocery stores and restaurants will also be used in schools, as well as measures such as limiting time with others, one-way pathways, cleaning more, washing hands regularly and staying home when unwell.

“We need to hold our line and bend our curve back down where it belongs,” said Henry.

For a listing of community exposure events, click here.
For the latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and testing, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/ or follow @CDCofBC on Twitter.

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