VANCOUVER -- B.C.'s top doctor says the spread of the novel coronavirus has started to slow in the province, but warned residents not to let their guard down yet.
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Dr. Bonnie Henry said, "As you can see across the province, we've started to slow down."
The latest modelling showed a spike in November, followed by a bit of a dip since sweeping restrictions were put in place.
Still, she warned against developing a false sense of security.
"What we are doing is working, but we cannot let up," she said."You are a COVID-19 prevention expert. All of us are. And we know we can make it through this. We've come this far."
In her year-to-date update, Henry highlighted what is not a surprise to those who've been watching the briefings. Fraser Health is the region most impacted by COVID-19 in B.C.
Looking at distribution of cases so far in 2020, The data showed the cumulative rate per 100,000 population of COVID-19 cases was highest in a region designated as "Fraser South," with a rate of 18,140, followed by the City of Vancouver (7,213), and "Fraser North" (6,087).
In the last seven days, Fraser South has also seen a high daily average rate per 100,000, at 1,568. Further details can be viewed in a detailed map posted by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Looking at the last week of data, from Dec. 15 to 21, there were 109 deaths and 4,025 confirmed cases recorded.
The majority of deaths in the last 11 months have been among those aged 80 to 90-plus. When it comes to cases that required treatment in an intensive care unit, there are patients in all age groups over 19.
As we’ve seen in recent months, young adults continue to be responsible for the most new infections, with those aged 20-29 accounting for a disproportionately large number of positive cases, followed by those in the 30-39 age range.
Henry also walked media through the latest data regarding school-aged children and exposures at school. Read more on that angle here.
Following the modelling update, Henry revealed that, despite some positive news, there are still more than 9,100 active cases in B.C., including 518 recorded in the last 24 hours.
