COVID-19 curve continues upward trend, as B.C. records 41 new cases but no additional deaths

B.C. health officials announced Wednesday that 41 more people have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, bringing the provincial total to 3,562 cases.

The number of new cases includes a data correction from Tuesday, the province said in a statement.

Hospitalizations from COVID-19 continue to drop with six people currently in hospital, down from nine on Tuesday, the first day the number had dropped below 10 since the province declared a provincial health emergency.

There were no additional deaths, leaving the provincial death toll from the disease at 194.

There are currently 259 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., provincial health officials said in a news release, while 3,109 people who had tested positive have now recovered.

The Fraser Health region continues to record the highest number of cases in B.C. since the start of the pandemic, followed by Vancouver Coastal Health.

• Fraser Health: 1,846 cases.
• Vancouver Coastal Health: 1,071 cases.
• Interior Health: 356 cases.
• Island Health: 143 cases.
• Northern Health: 60 cases.

The new numbers were revealed in a statement from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, where Henry repeated her request for public help to "bend our curve back down and keep our province strong."

"The actions you take make a difference and will help all of us to stay safe this summer," she said.

New cases on Haida Gwaii

The outbreak on Haida Gwaii continues to grow as Northern Health announced six more people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

A community outbreak was first declared on the remote island July 24. In all, 20 cases have been confirmed on the island, 13 of which are still considered active.

"The additional cases do not represent a significant expansion of the outbreak, nor do they suggest [a] wider spread of COVID-19 in Haida Gwaii communities," said Northern Health in a written statement.

"While contact tracing work continues, it is believed the new cases are also epidemiologically linked to the original outbreak cases."

Public health officials believe the cases are linked to exposures that took place before the outbreak was first announced.

Northern Health says it expects to identify additional cases from the same exposure in the coming days.

Throughout the pandemic, the Haida Nation has raised concerns over an outbreak in the community. Fearing the potential for infection paired with the island's limited health resources, the Haida Nation enforced a visitor ban.

Outbreaks and alerts

There continues to be 31 cases connected to the outbreak at Fraser Valley Packers, a blueberry packing plant in Abbotsford, B.C.

However, Henry says there is no risk or health concerns related to the consumption of fruit from the plant. Still, she says it's a good idea to always wash fruits and vegetables before consuming them.

Echoing her warning from Tuesday, Henry says there's still an active alert issued for Kelowna nightclub Liquid Zoo.

Anyone who may have been at the venue from July 15 to 18 is asked to monitor themselves, limit contact with others and, if symptoms develop, to seek out testing.

"Staying a safe distance from others is the best way to slow the spread of the virus," she said.