British Columbia

What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. for June 10, 2020

Five days have now passed without any recorded deaths from COVID-19 in B.C., but Dr. Bonnie Henry says it's important to remain cautious while transmission is still increasing globally.

Officials announce 12 new cases detected, no new deaths

Travellers wait for a taxi outside the international arrivals area at Vancouver International Airport on May 29. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

THE LATEST:

  • Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced 12 new cases of COVID-19 detected in B.C. and no new deaths Wednesday.
  • Wednesday makes five days in a row with no COVID-19-related deaths.
  • One new outbreak has been detected at a Vancouver long-term care home.
  • There have been 2,680 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in B.C. as of Wednesday.
  • 185 cases are still active.
  • 167 people have died.
  • 12 people are in hospital, including four in intensive care.
  • Premier John Horgan extends B.C.'s state of emergency by two more weeks.
  • Horgan said his government and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry have signed off on a plan to modify quarantine requirements to make Vancouver a possible NHL hub city.
  • Government has passed an order protecting minor sports organizations from litigation related to COVID-19.

For the fifth day in a row, B.C. health officials have announced no COVID-19-related deaths.

On Wednesday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in B.C.

As of Wednesday, there are 185 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Twelve people are in hospital and four of them are in intensive care.

Since the pandemic began, B.C. has detected 2,680 cases in the province. 2,328 people who tested positive have recovered.

A total of 167 British Columbians have died.

Officials announced a new long-term care home outbreak at Holy Family Hospital in Vancouver. Five long-term care or assisted-living facilities in the province have active outbreaks.

Game on?

Premier John Horgan said the Vancouver Canucks' plan to host National Hockey League games in the city has the approval of his government and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

Horgan said the plan involves a modification to quarantine requirements in B.C. allowing a team to be considered a family entity or a "bubble."

The team and its personnel would stay together in one hotel and travel to and from the rink together in private transportation.

Testing would be the responsibility of the teams and no interaction with the public would be allowed for the 14-day quarantine.

"It's only expanding the number of people within the bubble that would allow the NHL teams to come to Vancouver," Horgan said Wednesday at a media availability in Victoria.

Horgan also made an announcement for minor sports Wednesday: his government, he said, passed an order shielding minor sports organizations, officials and volunteers from legal liability as a result of COVID-19.

Horgan said the announcement would help encourage people to get outside and be active.

He said many of these organizations have heard from insurers that they would not get insurance for COVID-19-related liability during the pandemic.

Minor sport organizations, he said, will have to follow public health directives.

'We need to watch closely'

Horgan also announced that B.C.'s state of emergency would be extended for another two weeks. Under B.C. law, states of emergency can only be in place for two weeks at a time.

Henry said Tuesday it's important to remain cautious while transmission is still increasing globally.

"The global case count continues to rise and many regions are facing a resurgence in cases. Just yesterday was the highest single day for new cases globally. This is concerning for all of us," the provincial health officer said Tuesday.

"We need to watch closely what is happening globally and in B.C., and we need to do all we can to protect our communities and our province."

As the province continues to reopen, more and more people are back on public transit. TransLink on Wednesday said its system-wide boardings were 85 per cent higher last week than they were during the second week of April, which had the lowest ridership levels of the pandemic.

There were 2,578,000 boardings from May 31 to June 6, compared to 1,396,000 between April 5 and 11. The majority of those passengers were on buses.

ICBC is also resuming its commercial road tests for Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 licences. The tests will be starting again on June 11 by appointment only.

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Important reminders:

Health officials widely agree the most important thing you can do to prevent coronavirus and other illnesses is to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face. 

The World Health Organization said more than 80 per cent of COVID-19 infections are estimated to be mild.

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of 4:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday, there were 96,653 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases in Canada, with more than 55,572 considered recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial data, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 7,952.

For a look at what's happening across the country and the world, check the CBC interactive case tracker.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Common symptoms include:

  • Fever.
  • Cough.
  • Tiredness.

But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia.

What should I do if I feel sick?

Stay home. Isolate yourself and call your local public health authority or 811. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested.

Find information about COVID-19 from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

Non-medical information about COVID-19 is available in B.C. from 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. PT, seven days a week at 1-888-COVID19 (1-888-268-4319).

What can I do to protect myself?

  • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Keep them clean.
  • Keep at least two metres away from people who are sick.
  • When outside the home, keep two metres away from other people.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Masks won't fully protect you from infection, but can help prevent you from infecting others.

More detailed information on the outbreak is available on the federal government's website.

If you have a COVID-19-related story we should pursue that affects British Columbians, please email us at impact@cbc.ca

With files from The Canadian Press