COVID-19 exposures: Here's how many B.C. grocery stores, pharmacies posted warnings in the past week

Vancouver -

Several more notices with details on possible COVID-19 exposures at grocery stores and pharmacies across B.C. have been posted online, but the number of warnings appears to be declining.

The latest notices, stating employees at those locations recently tested positive for the disease, were posted by parent companies Loblaws and Sobeys over the past week.

The declining exposure notices is likely a reflection of case counts also falling across the province.

On Friday, health officials announced the fourth consecutive day that B.C. recorded fewer than 200 cases. As of that update, the province's seven-day average had fallen to 210 cases per day, which is the lowest the average has been since Oct. 23.

In late April, around the time when the province saw its highest rolling weekly average of case counts, as many as 24 different grocery stores and pharmacies posted exposure notices in a seven-day period. This past week, there were only nine.

The latest exposure notices were posted at:

• Extra Foods at 7000 27th St. in Grand Forks. A notice was posted on May 31; the employee last worked on May 25.
• Thrifty Foods at 3475 Quadra St. in Victoria. A notice was posted on June 2; the employee last worked on May 20.
• Shoppers Drug Mart at 1306 Lonsdale Ave. in North Vancouver. A notice was posted on June 3; the employee last worked on May 30.
• City Market at 1650 Lonsdale Ave. in North Vancouver. Notices were posted on June 3 and June 5; the employees last worked on May 26 and May 24 respectively.
• Real Canadian Superstore at 3000 Lougheed Hwy. in Coquitlam. A notice was posted on June 4; the employee last worked on May 27.
• Real Canadian Superstore at 1301 Lougheed Hwy. in Coquitlam. A notice was posted on June 5; the employee last worked on May 29.
• Safeway at 697 Bernard Ave. in Kelowna. A notice was posted on June 5; the employee last worked on June 1.
• No Frills at 4508 Fraser St. in Vancouver. A notice was posted on June 6; the employee last worked on May 30.
• Shoppers Drug Mart at 22441 Dewdney Trunk Rd. in Maple Ridge. A notice was posted on June 6; the employee last worked on June 2.

As well as declining case counts, more people in the community – including grocery store employees – have been received at least one vaccine dose against the disease.

T&T Supermarket says, as of June 7, 89 per cent of its 5,300 staff have received at least one dose. That grocery store chain has only posted one exposure notice in the past couple weeks.

Loblaws and Sobeys haven't posted vaccination rates for their employees.

"We will continue to do all that we can to keep a safe working and shopping environment for all our colleagues and customers," a notice on T&T's website says.

"We'd like to remind customers that even if you're vaccinated, T&T will continue to mandate wearing masks while shopping."

Last month, people working in grocery stores aged 18 and older were given early access to vaccines as essential workers. Now, everyone aged 12 and older in the province can register for their first dose and some people are now receiving their second.