155 new Covid cases in B.C. going into weekend

Oct 16, 2020 | 3:20 PM Pete McIntyre

The number of new COVID-19 cases in B.C. have remained relatively stable this week.

On Friday, 155 new cases were announced, up slightly from Thursday’s 142 and close to the 158 on Wednesday.

Of the new cases, three were in Interior Health (IH), one in Island Health, five in Northern Health with the rest in the Lower Mainland health regions.

IH has 28 active cases with two people in hospital.

There are still 3 cases linked to an outbreak at the FedEx office near the Kelowna Airport.

There are 1,513 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 3,713 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 9,387 people who tested positive have recovered.

Currently, 72 people are hospitalized, 26 of those in critical or intensive care.

There has been one new COVID-19 related death, for a total of 251 in B.C.

There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks.

There has been one new community outbreak at the Tim Hortons in Merritt.

“Interior Health is investigating a cluster of cases of COVID-19 associated with the main Tim Hortons (3340 River Ranch Rd.) in Merritt. The owner has voluntarily closed the restaurant and we appreciate Tim Hortons efforts and cooperation in managing this situation,” stated an IH email to Vernon Matters. “The business has appropriate precautions in place to prevent COVID-19 transmission to the public and our investigation has determined that there was no COVID-19 exposure to the general public. All confirmed cases are isolating and contact investigation is underway. There is no risk to the general public.”

The BCCDC website had this information on the following question:

Can the COVID-19 virus be passed on by eating or touching ready to eat foods made by others?

There is no evidence that COVID-19 is spread through food made by infected people. COVID-19 is spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets. There is a theoretical risk that a person infected with COVID-19 could spread the virus by sneezing on food or by directly touching food with their hands. However, there have been no cases reported of such transmission with COVID-19.

With the provincial election just over one week away and advanced voting underway, Elections BC has COVID-19 safety plans in place for all locations.

“If you are planning on voting in person, remember to give others the space to stay safe when going to vote, wash your hands before and after voting, and consider using a mask if distancing is a challenge,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial officer, in a statement. “If you are self-isolating due to COVID-19 or are feeling unwell, you can still vote without going to a voting place. Contact Elections BC at 1 800 661-8683 for more information or assistance.”

Case counts by health region:

4,036 Vancouver Coastal (+62)
5,884 Fraser (+84)
240 Island (+1)
590 Interior (+3)
350 Northern (+5)
89 people who reside outside Canada (no change)