FILE PHOTO - B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix looks on as provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provides an update on COVID-19 on July 6, 2020.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Province of B.C.
August 11, 2020 - 3:46 PM
B.C. is reporting 46 new cases of COVID-19 today, pushing the total since the start of the pandemic to 4,111.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said yesterday the upward curve of cases was of concern, especially as the start of the school year nears.
"As we look to fall, what we've learned from other jurisdictions is that transmission in a school setting is a reflection of what's happening in our communities; keeping our community transmission low and slow keeps us all safe,” Dr. Henry and minister of health Adrian Dix said in a joint statement released today, Aug. 11.
"And behind the scenes, public health is using contact tracing to mitigate the new growth in cases.”
Every case is followed up and linked and people who are at risk from exposure to known cases are supported to self-isolate, reducing further community exposure.
“That is working,” Dr. Henry said in the statement.
“The number of people we see self-isolating from the past few days reflects the work that public-health teams are doing tracing people around the province to prevent the spread and stop outbreaks.”
Dr. Henry and Dix asked that British Columbians help public health teams in contact tracing by using the skills they’ve have learned: Keep gatherings small, have a designated 'contact keeper,' limit time with others, maintain physical distance, and always stay home if you're feeling unwell.
"What we do each day protects us, our families and friends and our communities. Let's continue to work together to bend the curve not the rules."
There are 472 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,444 people who tested positive have recovered.
Eight people are hospitalized with COVID-19 and five are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,232 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 2,167 in the Fraser Health region, 148 in the Island Health region, 393 in the Interior Health region, 100 in the Northern Health region and 71 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.
There have been no new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 195 deaths in British Columbia.
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