Health officials are reporting 269 new COVID-19 cases and one new death over the weekend in B.C.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said there were 109 new cases Saturday, 81 on Sunday and 79 on Monday. Saturday’s case count is now the highest ever one-day total since the pandemic began.
One person has died over the past 72 hours, for a total of 203 people throughout the course of the pandemic. Total confirmed cases reached 5,184, with a known recovery rate of 78.5 per cent.
“We are staying within the range of where we need to be, although it is always fraught and we all have to be careful to make sure we’re doing our bit to keep us there,” Henry said, adding that B.C. still has “low undetected transmission” but that there are “many months to come” before the pandemic is over.
B.C. now has 913 active cases. There are 18 people in hospital, five of whom are in ICU. Henry said 2,594 people are being monitored by public health as they have been in “close contact” with a COVID case.
The province has one new active outbreak in a health-care setting at the MSA Manor in Abbotsford. In total, there are 10 active health-care outbreaks, with nine in long-term care and one in acute care.
Henry said recent COVID-19 enforcement measures, including recently introduced fines, are an “unfortunate but necessary step” for people who continue to break the rules.
The provincial health officer said she declined the request from the province’s banquet halls to raise the 50 person max gathering limit – or shut down the halls altogether – to nix tense situations where guests clash with staff over COVID-19 rules.
“For consistency across the board, we are staying at 50,” she said.
Dix warned that penalties will continue for people who break the rules. He urged people throwing events and hosting weddings to be careful, saying it would be “a catastrophic way… to start a life together.”
As B.C.’s active cases continue to tick upwards, Henry said that there is “not a time limit, there’s not just one thing” that could lead to restrictions being brought back. She said that closing down the province is not a long-term solution.
“We know a lot more about the virus… we know that the measures that we take work,” Henry said.
“When we detect people quickly… we’re able to stop the transmission.”
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