What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. for Dec. 21

THE LATEST:

• 1,667 new cases have been confirmed in the last three days.
• Another 41 people have died.
• There are now 341 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 80 in critical care.
• As of Monday, there are 9,718 active cases across B.C.
• 3,644 people who work in health care have received a vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
• More B.C. businesses are now eligible to receive a $30,000 recovery grant.
• Eligible British Columbians can now apply for the B.C. Recovery Benefit.
• The province is ramping up enforcement of public health orders to ensure more people are following its mask mandate and social gathering restrictions.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced Monday that another 1,667 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed over the last three days, and 41 people have died.

There are now 9,718 active cases of the novel coronavirus in B.C. Of those, 341 people are in hospital, including 80 in intensive care.

"We are starting to see a levelling of our COVID-19 curve in B.C., but it is levelling at a very high level, which means that transmission continues to happen" Henry cautioned.

To date, there have been 47,067 cases of the virus in B.C., including 713 people who have died.

Henry announced Monday that 3,644 people who work in health care received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last week, and doses have now arrived in every health authority in the province.

She also addressed the new variant of the coronavirus that has appeared in the U.K. Henry says that while there is no evidence so far that this variant affects the severity of illness, it does appear to transmit more easily.

Scientists at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control have reviewed genomic sequencing of the virus as it's appeared in this province, and so far have not found any evidence of the new variant here.

Over the weekend Northern Health declared an outbreak of COVID-19 at two accommodation sites for workers on the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline project near Burns Lake, B.C.

The health authority says 27 people have tested positive for the virus so far, and 17 cases are still active. The outbreak is at the 7 Mile Lodge in Burns Lake and the Little Rock Lake Lodge in Nechako. 

Interior Health also announced that the number of cases connected to the Big White ski resort near Kelowna, B.C., has jumped to 76.

Eligibility widened for $30K business grant

More businesses in B.C. that have been adversely affected by the pandemic will now be eligible to receive a grant of up to $30,000 after adjustments were made to the Small and Medium-Sized Business Recovery Grant Program.

Ravi Kahlon, the province's Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, announced changes to the program on Monday to allow for "more businesses [to] access this much-needed funding."

"While many businesses have benefited from our government's supports and programs, we wanted to do more," Kahlon said in a written statement. 

Businesses that are temporarily closed or seasonal are now also eligible for the grant, as well as businesses that have been in operation for the past 18 months.

Businesses that have experienced a minimum revenue loss of 30 per cent at the time of application, instead of 50 per cent previously, are eligible. The requirement to list a variety of remittance accounts like the registration number for the goods and services tax has been removed.

"Helping business owners pivot and get through this tough time is essential. We are grateful for the revisions to the grant program and the support it offers to businesses facing financial pressures," said Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

The grant for the tourism sector has also been increased and businesses affected are eligible for a grant up to $45,000.

B.C. Recovery Benefit

Applications for the B.C. Recovery Benefit are now open and eligible adults in the province can apply online for the $1,000 benefit.

Families with incomes under $125,000 are eligible to receive $1,000 and families earning up to $175,000 qualify for a reduced amount. Single-parent families also qualify for these amounts.

Single people earning less than $62,500 qualify for a $500 payment and individuals earning up to $87,500 will qualify for a reduced amount. The criteria is based on 2019 tax returns.

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Also on Friday, Health Minister Adrian Dix said 1,376 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were administered to health-care workers, for a total of 2,592 to date.

Meanwhile, RCMP in the Fraser Valley say they have written tickets totalling $18,400 to representatives from three local churches for hosting in-person services contrary to provincial orders.

New testing guidelines announced

On Thursday, Henry announced new guidelines for COVID-19 testing. She said anyone who has had contact with a known case and has any possible symptoms should get tested immediately.

There are four key symptoms that should also prompt immediate testing, irrespective of whether there has been any contact with a COVID-19 case. The symptoms are fever or chills, cough, loss of sense of smell or taste, and difficulty breathing.

Symptoms like sore throat, loss of appetite, extreme fatigue, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea are a lower priority for testing. Anyone experiencing one or two of those symptoms should wait 24 hours and then get tested if they still feel the same or worse.

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READ MORE:

• Officials at Vancouver International Airport say only 10 to 15 per cent of the usual number of holiday travellers are passing through this year because of COVID-19 travel restrictions and the threat of infection.
• Canada joined several European nations by halting flights from the U.K. on Sunday in an effort to prevent a new, potentially more contagious strain of the coronavirus from spreading to this country.
• As COVID-19 cases soar, politicians and health officials are begging people to cancel large-scale holiday plans and to not visit extended family or friends. While many are bummed, it's a relief for some.
• A Vancouver woman is calling for enhanced COVID-19 response protocols in B.C's hardest hit long-term care facilities, after her grandmother passed away Sunday from the disease.
• B.C.'s Big White Ski Resort is cancelling all upcoming reservations for people who live outside of the Central Okanagan as it responds to a cluster of COVID-19 cases that includes dozens of people.
• There are 108 cases of COVID-19 and climbing in northern B.C.'s Nechako region.
• All your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine in B.C. answered here.

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of 8 p.m. PT on Sunday, Canada's COVID-19 case count stood at 507,795, with 76,859 of those cases considered active.

A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 14,228.