More British Columbians are actively battling COVID-19 infections than ever before, and the number of those inflicted with the disease who are in hospital is now at a level not seen since early June.
There are now 925 people fighting COVID-19 in the province, with 22 of those in hospital – the most since June 4. Seven of those hospitalized are in intensive care units, provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said August 25 in a joint statement.
There were 58 new cases identified overnight, including one presumed, or "epi-linked" case, meaning that since the pandemic started, B.C. has discovered 5,242 cases of COVID-19. Of those patients, 4,114 have recovered, and 203 have died.
Those battling infections who are not in hospital are self-isolating at home. There are also 2,675 people who are under active public-health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases.
Some good news is that there have been no new deaths as a result of the novel coronavirus that first appeared in B.C. in late January.
The breakdown of all COVID-19 infections in the province by health region is:
• 1,683 in Vancouver Coastal Health (up 32);
• 2,762 in Fraser Health (up 23);
• 168 in Island Health (up two);
• 425 in Interior Health (no change);
• 128 in Northern Health (up one); and
• 76 people who reside outside Canada (no change).
New Westminster's Queen's Park Care Centre has an ongoing outbreak.
Fraser Health's interim chief medical health officer Elizabeth Brodkin, on August 25, mentioned two situations where there has been COVID-19 at hospitals.
She said a COVID-19 outbreak has taken place at Langley Memorial Hospital, which involved a single patient who was released and then tested positive for the disease. Brodkin declined to say when the patient was at Langley Memorial Hospital, and released, in order to protect that person's confidentiality. News of the incident arose on August 25.
She added that at Royal Columbian Hospital one staff person tested positive after having conducted surgery in an operating room. Brodkin said that this case was likely contracted in the community so it is not officially considered an outbreak at the hospital.
Ten active outbreaks at seniors' homes are at:
•Holy Family Hospital in Vancouver;
•Arbutus Care Centre in Vancouver;
•Czorny Alzheimer Centre in Surrey;
•Dania Home in Burnaby;
•Derby Manor in Burnaby;
•George Derby Centre in Burnaby;
•New Vista Care Home in Burnaby;
•Maple Ridge Seniors Village in Maple Ridge;
•MSA Manor long-term care facility (second outbreak); and
•Bear Creek Villa in Surrey.
"There are no new community outbreaks, and the outbreak at Fraser Valley Packers Inc. is now over," Henry and Dix said. "There continue to be community exposure events at other locations and on flights into and out of the province."
