B.C. COVID update Thursday: 536 new cases, first case of South African variant

B.C. is reporting 536 new cases of COVID-19, with 115 of those in Interior Health, along with seven more deaths.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, said there are now four confirmed cases of the United Kingdom COVID variant in B.C., along with the first case of a South African variant in the Vancouver area.

Henry said three of the UK variant cases are linked to one traveller in Island Health and they don’t believe it has spread from the four cases.

Henry said the person with the South African variant is not known to have travelled or to have a connection to a traveller.

“We are still investigating where this person may have contracted this virus, although at the moment, it does not appear to have spread in the community beyond the person we’ve identified,” Henry stated.

Interior Health (IH) is seeing some of B.C.’s highest growth of new COVID cases with 115 reported today.

Dr. Henry says it’s due to people coming together in small groups, outside their family bubbles over the Christmas holidays, and spreading the virus.

“It’s not focused in one area. What we’re seeing is more local. It’s not related to large events like before. It’s related to people thinking it’s OK if its just a few of us, and unfortunately it’s spreading in all communities,” Henry said.

Provincially there are 536 new cases and 7 more deaths, with no new deaths in IH.

Other new case counts announced Wednesday were 102 in Vancouver Coastal, 253 in Fraser Health, 21 on Vancouver Island and 45 in Northern Health.

There are 4,624 active cases, with 362 people in hospital and 74 in intensive or critical care.

Henry said 69,746 have now received a COVID-19 vaccine in every health region with a focus on those at highest risk.

“Between now and end of March, people most at risk and those supporting the health care system are the priority, and we are working on details for everyone else when they expect more vaccines in April, with more details next week,” Henry added.

Henry said a new online dashboard to make the vaccine information more available should be ready by next week.

Update on outbreaks in IH:

·           Cariboo Memorial Hospital has four staff cases.

·           Brocklehurst Gemstone long-term care in Kamloops has four resident cases.

·           Sunnybank long-term care in Oliver has 25 cases: 18 residents and seven staff, with one death linked to this outbreak.

·           Creekside Landing long-term care in Vernon has 23 cases: 12 residents and 11 staff, with one death linked to this outbreak.

·           Williams Lake Seniors Village has two cases: one resident and one staff.

·           Noric House long-term care in Vernon has 39 cases: 24 residents and 15 staff.

·           Heritage Square long-term care in Vernon has 53 cases: 40 residents and 13 staff, with five deaths connected to this outbreak.

·           Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna has 46 cases: 41 residents and five staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.

·           Teck mining operations remains at 16 IH cases linked to the outbreak.

·           McKinney Place long-term care in Oliver has 78 cases: 55 residents and 23 staff, with 17 deaths connected to this outbreak.

·           Village by the Station long-term care in Penticton has 10 cases: five residents and five staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.

·           Mountainview Village long-term care in Kelowna has 16 cases: eight residents and eight staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.