B.C. confirms 104 new cases of COVID-19 but no new deaths
33 people are in hospital, 14 of whom are in intensive care
B.C. announced 104 new cases of COVID-19 in the province on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic began to 5,952.
The province announced one new health-care facility outbreak at Surrey Memorial Hospital. An outbreak at Langley Memorial Hospital has been declared over.
There are currently 33 people in hospital, an increase of two since Tuesday and the highest it's been since May 31. Four more people are in intensive care for a total of 14. There were no new deaths reported Wednesday.
Active COVID-19 infections in B.C. now total a record high 1,127 cases, with 2,786 people in self-isolation as a result of identified exposure to known cases.
Since the province entered Phase 3 of its recovery plan, active cases have spiked beyond what was seen in the spring. The numbers reported in a written statement from the province on Wednesday follow a relatively lower count on Tuesday when 58 new cases were confirmed.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix have emphasized that B.C. residents should pull back on social interactions during the fall — a message they reiterated in Wednesday's statement.
"Getting back to work and back to school is also about getting back to the basics with our COVID-19 safety measures," read the statement in part.
"We need to redouble our efforts to ensure our layers of protection are always part of our daily routines — for everyone in our family. This will allow us to push our curve down once again."
With school approaching, Henry and Dix are urging B.C. residents to be careful, because cases in the community can be linked to potential outbreaks in school settings. On Monday, the pair encouraged British Columbians to take the rules around eating in restaurants — a limit of six people per table — as the guideline for socializing in their personal lives.
A maximum six people from outside one's household has been the guideline for all social interactions since B.C. moved into Phase 2 of the pandemic response in May.
No new community outbreaks were announced on Wednesday, though there are a number of community exposure events, including El Furniture Warehouse, the Banter Room, and Lions MMA, a mixed martial arts gym.
The VCH public exposures website lists the incidents as "low risk," but the health authority is asking anyone who was at the businesses during operating hours on those days to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.