VANCOUVER -- In their first update since last week, B.C.'s top health officials announced 146 cases of COVID-19, but fortunately, no new deaths.
The number of cases confirmed through testing over the last four days were as follows:
- Friday to Saturday – 43 cases
- Saturday to Sunday – 29 cases
- Sunday to Monday – 46 cases
- Monday to Tuesday – 28 cases
Four of those cases are epidemiologically linked, meaning they involve people who were close contacts of confirmed cases, but didn't get tested for a variety of reasons.
"As you can tell, there have been a number of new cases over the long weekend," B.C.'s provincial health officer said Tuesday.
Dr. Bonnie Henry said it was not unexpected. She said events in the last couple of weeks suggested more people would be exposed to the virus, and would develop illness.
The latest cases include people who were exposed up to two weeks ago, she said.
"Many continue to be related to private gatherings or small parties that happened over the last month. Many are with travel within B.C. and Canada, and some are people who have travelled here from outside of Canada," Henry said.
There have also been a number of workplace exposures.
However, she warned the days after the August long weekend could also be a time when COVID-19 cases spike again.
"In all of these cases, the common factors are really the same: it's about the things that we're doing when we're in close contact with people."
That list includes talking, laughing, sharing drinks and food, gathering in crowds and being indoors.
"We need to make sure these cases don't result in a dramatic uptick once again," she said, referring to a recent climb in cases in B.C., many of which were tied to two Canada Day events in Kelowna.
By the numbers
The latest update brings B.C.'s total confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 3,787.
Of those cases, the majority have been in the province's Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions, at 1,989 and 1,119, respectively.
Henry said there have been another 146 confirmed in the Vancouver Island Health region, 377 in the Interior and 91 in the north. Another 65 cases tied to the province are in people who live outside of Canada, she said.
There are now 319 cases in the province considered to be active, while another 3,273 people are considered by health officials to have recovered.
Eight people are in hospital, and half of those are in intensive or critical care.
Tuesday's update means B.C.'s death toll remains at 195.
Outbreaks in B.C.
Henry also announced a new outbreak at an assisted living facility in Maple Ridge.
She added an outbreak at Mission Memorial Hospital, first reported in June, has been declared over.
Given the updates, B.C. is dealing with three active outbreaks in the health-care system, all of which are in assisted or long-term care.
Additionally, there are active outbreaks and what she called "exposure events" in the community.
Among them is a previously announced outbreak at Fraser Valley Packers Inc., a blueberry packing facility in Abbotsford. On Friday, there were nearly 60 cases tied to the company.
That number had grown to 74 by Tuesday's update.
