B.C. Covid update Tuesday: 407 cases, 14 deaths

COVID-19 cases are continuing a slight downward trend in B.C., but health officials say it’s not enough.

After an average of 448 cases a day over the weekend (Jan. 22-25), Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced 407 new cases on Tuesday.

There have been 14 new COVID-related deaths, for a total of 1,168 deaths in B.C.

One of the four deaths in Interior Health (IH) was at Noric House in Vernon, the sixth at that long-term care facility.

In the various health regions, there were 54 new cases in Interior Health, 124 in Vancouver Coastal, 169 in Fraser Health, 22 in Island Health, 38 in Northern Health and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

There are 4,260 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, with 313 people in hospital, 71 in critical or intensive care.

“The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 is much higher than we want it to be. We are asking for everyone’s help to bend our curve back down. This is especially critical with the presence of variant viruses in our province,” Henry and Dix said in a statement.

The pair said B.C.’s greatest source of transmission comes from when people spend time with those outside of their household, work or school bubble.

“That is why staying small and equally important, avoiding all unnecessary travel, is what we need to do right now. For the many who have been doing your part, you may be asking, ‘What more can I do?’ Be the voice of support and encouragement for those who may be wavering in their resolve,” Dix and Henry concluded.

Currently, 6,450 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 58,352 people who tested positive are considered recovered.

To date, 122,359 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 4,105 of which are second doses. Immunization data is available on the COVID-19 dashboard at: www.bccdc.ca

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Update on Interior Health:

Four new deaths to report for a total of 66

One at Noric House in Vernon.

Two at Sunnybank in Oliver.

One in the community/hospital.

Update on IH outbreaks:

·           Royal Inland Hospital has 51 cases: 19 patients and 32 staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.

·           Cariboo Memorial Hospital has 13 staff cases.

·           Brocklehurst Gemstone long-term care in Kamloops has 23 cases: 16 residents and seven staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.

·           Sunnybank long-term care in Oliver has 37 cases: 27 residents and 10 staff, with five deaths connected to this outbreak.

·           Creekside Landing long-term care in Vernon has 37 cases: 24 residents and 13 staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.

·           Noric House long-term care in Vernon has 61 cases: 36 residents and 25 staff, with six deaths connected to this outbreak.

·           Heritage Square long-term care in Vernon has 68 cases: 47 residents and 21 staff, with eight deaths connected to this outbreak.

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

 

Other updates

There are 11 additional cases linked to the Big White cluster for a total of 225 cases.

There are 46 additional cases linked to the cluster in the Williams Lake area.