Most locations of potential COVID-19 exposure in B.C. are now listed online
Many new cases linked to exposure at parties, bars; 4 health authorities now listing venues, times of concern
British Columbians can now check online to see if they might have been exposed to COVID-19 while out in public.
The Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health, Interior Health, Northern Health and Island Health authorities now all have websites listing recent public exposure events.
Fraser Health's new site was launched Thursday morning in response to a surge in new cases in recent weeks. Many of those cases have been linked to COVID-19 exposure at restaurants, bars and private parties in other parts of the province.
"We have recently seen an uptick of cases in our communities and I would like to remind people to remain vigilant in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19. We must continue to practise physical distancing, wash our hands frequently, and keep our social circles small," Fraser Health interim chief medical health officer Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin said in a news release.
"By doing so, we can reduce the number of possible exposures to COVID-19 and ensure we are protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities as well as ourselves and our loved ones."
As of Thursday morning, there were no notifications of potential exposure events on Fraser Health's site.
The new website for Vancouver Coastal Health lists several events, as does that of Interior Health, where more than 70 cases have now been connected to people with COVID-19 attending gatherings in the downtown and waterfront areas of Kelowna in late June and early July.
Early Thursday, Health Minister Adrian Dix tweeted out the latest site of possible exposure in Kelowna, at a Browns Socialhouse restaurant on Harvey Avenue.
The <a href="https://twitter.com/Interior_Health?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Interior_Health</a> team has identified an additional <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> exposure location in Kelowna.<br><br>If you visited Browns Socialhouse (100-1544 Harvey Ave), on July 13 or July 16-19, please self-monitor closely for symptoms & get tested if symptoms develop.<a href="https://t.co/cVJ6EOIYuR">https://t.co/cVJ6EOIYuR</a>
—@adriandix
Anyone who may have been affected by exposure events across the province is asked to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19.