March 20 COVID update for BC, 77 new cases since yesterday
By Contributor
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia:
“We are announcing 77 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 348 cases in British Columbia.
“Of the new cases, one patient is a health-care worker at the Dufferin Care Centre, a long-term care home in Coquitlam. Fraser Health authority public health and infection control teams are on site.
“Every health region in British Columbia has patients with COVID-19: 200 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 95 are in the Fraser Health region, 30 are in the Vancouver Island Health region, 19 are in the Interior Health region and four are in the Northern Heath region.
“Additionally, of the total COVID-19 cases, six people have completely recovered, 22 are receiving acute care, 10 are in intensive care and the remaining patients are at home in isolation.
“As the number of cases increases and the pressure on our health-care system intensifies, we would like to acknowledge and thank our health-care workers as they support all those in B.C. who require testing and care for COVID-19.
“In step with World Health Organization recommendations, the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Infection Prevention and Control provides clear guidance for all health-care workers to follow. They can be confident that by following these guidelines on appropriate use, we will have sufficient supply of personal protective equipment.
“We need everybody to be aware of the risk in every community and every health region across B.C. And, equally important, because of the incubation period and rapid transmission, the self-isolation and social distancing that we do today will benefit all of us two weeks and two months from now.
“Given the challenges social distancing presents for restaurants, effective immediately, all dine-in food services are prohibited. Restaurants must move to delivery or take-out options only, or close.
“We also want to be clear that while spending time outdoors is important, people still need to stay away from groups in any environment – to prevent bringing the virus into their homes.
“New resources are being made available every day to support everyone in our province as we continue to work to stop the transmission of COVID-19.”
Learn More:
For recommendations on protecting yourself and your community from COVID-19 and to use an online self-assessment tool, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/
For non-health information on COVID-19, call 1-888-COVID-19 or visit: www.gov.bc.ca/covid19
For the latest video of COVID-19 media availabilities, visit: https://www.facebook.com/BCProvincialGovernment/
