The total number of people actively fending off COVID-19 infections in B.C. has risen to a record 1,124, as the province continues to have ever-higher numbers of people with that potentially fatal disease, health officials announced September 1.
What might be good news is that B.C. recorded 58 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours. This starts September off with a comparatively low number of new cases, given the rise in cases througout August. There were five days in August when more than 100 cases were reported, including August 28, when a record 124 infections were confirmed.
The last time B.C. recorded fewer new daily infections than 58 was on August 17, when 48 people were confirmed to be newly battling the disease that has caused a global pandemic.
One new COVID-19-related death was recorded in the past day, bringing the province's death toll to 209. Of the 5,845 infections to date, 4,505 people have recovered. It remains unclear what happened to 10 people who are not listed as actively infected, recovered or dead, as some people may have left the province.
The vast majority of those battling COVID-19 are self-isolating at home, although 31 individuals are in hospital, while 10 of those are in intensive care units. This is the highest number of people that have been in hospital with COVID-19 since June 1, when there were 32 people in hospitals.
The breakdown of all COVID-19 infections in the province by health region is:
• 1,922 in Vancouver Coastal Health (up 22);
• 3,072 in Fraser Health (up 30);
• 175 in Island Health (no change);
• 440 in Interior Health (no change);
• 160 in Northern Health (up six); and
• 79 people who reside outside Canada (no change).
There are no new outbreaks in the heathcare system, although two outbreaks in those facilities remain: Langley Memorial Hospital and Queen's Park Care Centre.
There are also eight active outbreaks at seniors' homes:
•Czorny Alzheimer Centre in Surrey;
•Normanna Living in Burnaby;
•Derby Manor in Burnaby;
•George Derby Centre in Burnaby;
•New Vista Care Home in Burnaby;
•Maple Ridge Seniors Village in Maple Ridge;
•MSA Manor long-term care facility in Abbotsford (second outbreak); and
•Bear Creek Villa in Surrey.
"The Northern Health region, the First Nations Health Authority and the Nisga'a Valley Health Authority (NVHA) have issued a joint alert for anyone in the Nass Valley who may have attended recent gatherings between August 21 and 25," B.C.'s provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement. "Any gathering attendees are asked to contact the NVHA clinic and if symptoms develop, to immediately self-isolate.
The two extolled British Columbians to be safe by keeping their distance from each other, washing hands and wearing face masks.
"As each of us does our part, scientists throughout our province are also actively working on the latest COVID-19 research," they said.
"The BC COVID-19 Research and Collaboration Symposium, a virtual collaboration of B.C.'s academic health sciences network, involving public health, epidemiology, social science and education researchers from all around B.C., began today. The symposium is focused on furthering our understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 and the related public health measures."
