In today’s COVID-19 update, there are some encouraging signs.
Active cases dropped overall as well as in all regions across the province. New cases remained in the 600 to 700 range while today’s hospitalized cases remained roughly on par with Friday (October 1).
Meanwhile, another mask dispute arose in Vancouver when an employee at a Gastown store confronted a customer without a mask on October 3. The customer used racial slurs (the employee was Asian), became aggressive, and grabbed her phone and threw it to the ground when she tried to call police. Police are now searching for the suspect.
Today, the B.C. Health Ministry is reporting 1,986 new COVID-19 cases from the past three time periods (the ministry stated that the numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh).
The total includes:
- 617 new cases from October 1 to 2;
- 707 new cases from October 2 to 3;
- 662 new cases from October 3 to 4.
With 331 fewer active cases than October 1, there are currently 5,986 cases that are active today.
The new and active cases include:
- 782 new cases in Fraser Health, with 2,333 total active cases (20 fewer cases than October 1);
- 414 new cases in Interior Health, with 1,132 total active cases (228 fewer cases);
- 346 new cases in Northern Health, with 965 total active cases (78 fewer cases);
- 226 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, with 859 total active cases (30 fewer cases);
- 218 new cases in Island Health, with 640 total active cases (26 fewer cases);
- no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada, with 57 total active cases (one fewer case).
Today, 326 individuals are in hospital (two fewer than October 1), and 142 of those patients are in intensive care units (four more than October 1).
Tragically, 10 new COVID-19-related deaths have been reported. The new deaths include: five in Fraser Health, two in Vancouver Coastal Health, two in Northern Health, and one in Interior Health. The overall total number of fatalities is now at 1,983 people who have died.
With 2,324 recoveries since October 1, 181,304 people who tested positive have now recovered.
During the pandemic, B.C. has reported a cumulative total of 189,680 COVID-19 cases.
Since December, B.C. has administered 7,884,070 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines.
As of today, 88.2 percent (4,089,226) of eligible people 12 and older have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 81.6 percent (3,782,008) received their second dose.
In addition, 88.7 percent (3,837,024) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 82.3 percent (3,561,693) received their second dose.
People not fully vaccinated accounted for 71.5 percent of cases from September 24 to 30 and, they accounted for 81.4 percent of hospitalizations from September 17 to 30.
Currently, there are 20 active outbreaks in healthcare facilities.
Fraser Health has declared an outbreak at Manoah Manor in Langley, where three staff members and one resident have tested positive.
Meanwhile, the outbreaks at Hallmark on the Lake in Abbotsford (Fraser Health); Arbutus Care Centre in Vancouver (Vancouver Coastal Health); Kamloops Seniors Village in Kamloops and Hardy View Lodge in Grand Forks (Interior Health) have been declared over, according to the B.C. Health Ministry.
Northern Health provided an update today on the outbreak at Jubilee Lodge in Prince George where 23 people (20 residents and three staff) have tested positive, and there have been three epi-linked cases (all residents). Sadly, six residents have died (two of whom were epi-linked). Currently, there aren’t any active cases remaining, and there haven’t been any new cases since September 10.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has added the following 20 flights to its lists of potential public exposures:
- September 15: Air Canada/Jazz Flight 8403, Calgary to Kelowna
- September 19: WestJet Flight 3175, Calgary to Nanaimo;
- September 19: Flair Flight 517, Victoria to Calgary;
- September 22: Air Canada/Jazz Flight 8107, Denver to Vancouver;
- September 22: Air Canada/Jazz Flight 8239, Terrace to Vancouver;
- September 22: Air Canada/Jazz Flight 8414, Vancouver to Kelowna;
- September 22: WestJet Flight 3373, Calgary to Victoria;
- September 23: Air Canada Flight 211, Calgary to Vancouver;
- September 23: Air Canada/Jazz Flight 8205, Vancouver to Prince;
- September 23: George Harbour Air Flight 216, Victoria to Vancouver;
- September 24: Flair Flight 447, Edmonton to Kelowna;
- September 24: Air Canada Flight 105, Toronto to Vancouver;
- September 24: All Nippon Airways Flight 116, Tokyo to Vancouver;
- September 24: Flight 298, Vancouver to Winnipeg;
- September 25: KLM Flight 681, Amsterdam to Vancouver;
- September 25: WestJet Flight 3105, Vancouver to Terrace;
- September 25: WestJet Flight 3309, Kelowna to Vancouver;
- September 26: Air Canada Flight 861, London to Vancouver;
- September 26: Air Canada Flight 1041, Las Vegas to Vancouver;
- September 26: Turkish Airlines Flight 75, Istanbul to Vancouver.
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