Saturday July 25, 2020 ~ VICTORIA, BC
by Mary Brooke, B.Sc. ~ West Shore Voice News
The BC Government’s joint statement on COVID-19 was issued without a live media briefing on Friday July 24.
Minister of Health Adrian Dix and BC’s provincial health officer Dr Bonnie Henry have delivered well over a hundred live media briefings about the COVID-19 viral pandemic since January. People have become used to receiving COVID updates daily.
On Friday their written statement included the BC Centre for Disease Control (CDC) statistics that show 27 new cases (one being epi-linked), producing a total of 3,419 cases in the province. Of that tally, 294 are active cases. Recovery from COVID-19 infection has been achieved by 2,934 people in BC who had tested positive.
Age factor:
Of the 27 new cases, none are among anyone young (below age 19) or super-old (over 90 years).
The new cases are spread mostly among age 20 to 69 — with 10 cases in the 20 to 30 year age group. This is the age group that is socializing and active in the workforce.
Only three elders (age 70 to 89) are among the new cases.
Hospitalization:
Presently 12 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, with three of those in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
COVID deaths in BC:
One new death from COVID-19, reported today, brings the death total to 191 in BC.
Outbreaks:
There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. In total, one long-term care facility and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks.
There is one new community outbreak on Haida Gwaii, with 13 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date. Of 13 people who have tested positive, one person has recovered and 12 are active cases (all local residents). While the initial source of transmission is still being investigated, the cases are all epidemiologically linked. Some are related residents who had recently travelled off island, and others are from exposure to known cases, it was stated in Friday’s release.
There also continues to be additional community exposure events throughout the province, including at Fossello’s clothing store in Kelowna. A full listing of community exposure events for each health authority is available through the BC CDC, as well as on health authority websites.
Public health teams are requesting the assistance of anyone who may have been exposed through community exposure to monitor themselves closely for symptoms, minimize time spent with others and get tested promptly if any symptoms arise.
Assessing risk:
“As we all enjoy our summer, we can reduce the potential for COVID-19 to spread by taking the time to assess the risks before spending time with others,” it was stated by Dix and Dr Henry. They pose these questions:
“Can you keep a safe distance from others? Are you giving people the space to stay safe? Are you spending a short time together? Are you outside? Are the people you are with, in your bubble? These are the questions we all need to ask ourselves. If you can’t say yes to these questions, then say no to the activity and choose to do something else instead.”
New PHO order about short-term rentals:
In the coming days, a new provincial health officer order will be in place to limit the number of people who can stay at and visit short-term rental accommodations and boat rentals. Whether at home or renting, keeping groups small will keep everyone safe.
“Similar to the case in restaurants, the number of people will be determined by the size of the space to ensure safe social interactions for everyone.
Keep track of where you go, who you see:
“This weekend, be mindful of where you are going and who you are seeing, assess your own risks and take steps to protect yourself and those you care for most. Let’s keep our firewall strong and bend our curve back down,” said Dr Henry.
The World Health Organization also chimed in on this on Friday: “The best way to suppress transmission and save lives is by engaging individuals and communities to manage their own risk and take evidence-based decisions to protect their own health and that of those around them,” said WHO Director General Dr Tedros.
“We’re asking everyone to treat the decisions about where they go, what they do and who they meet with as life-and-death decisions – because they are,” said Dr Tedros.