B.C. has recorded a huge spike in COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, with 85 new cases and one more death.
This brings the total number of active confirmed cases to 531 across the province, as well as 196 deaths.
“We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a statement Wednesday (Aug. 12).
There have been 4,196 confirmed cases in B.C. since January. Roughly 3,469 of those people have fully recovered.
Horgan calls on celebrities
As B.C. grapples with the ongoing pandemic, Premier John Horgan is calling in a superhero and funnyman – both with B.C. roots – to help spread the word about COVID-19 rules amongst young people.
During a news conference earlier in the day, Horgan called on Ryan Reynolds, known to many for his role as Deadpool, and Seth Rogen to use their influence to help put a stop to large parties being hosted and attended by those in their 20s and 30s.
“This is a callout to Deadpool right now,” Horgan said. “Ryan, we need your help up here. Get in touch with us, my number’s on the internet.
“Seth Rogen, another outstanding British Columbian. We need to communicate with people who aren’t hearing us. The two of you alone could help us in that regard.”
We need young people to understand that now is not the time to go to large parties. @VancityReynolds & @Sethrogen – please help spread the message to stop the spread of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/u9SodpRnxu
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) August 12, 2020
The callout comes as B.C. has seen an uptick in people under the age of 40 contracting the contagious respiratory illness. While most are not seeing adverse impacts, they can still spread the disease.
@ashwadhwani
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