COVID-19 in B.C.: Infant and nurse deaths; transmission to entire households; eight business closures; and more

by Craig Takeuchi on April 26th, 2021 at 5:47 PM

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New case counts over the weekend remained below the 1,000 case mark. However, the numbers still remain high.

When B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry was asked at today’s briefing if her provincial health orders are having an impact on case counts, she said it is often difficult to correlate case numbers with specific measures.

What she did say that public health has seen is a decrease in the number of social contacts since measures were implemented, which had previously been quite high.

Nonetheless, she said that they are still seeing transmission within households and gatherings indoors, even in small numbers which she said remain risky.

As a result of the new variants, Henry also explained that infections in households have become more widespread. She said that before the variants, transmission within households was often limited to one or two other people, whereas now she said that when one person in a household is infected, everyone within that household becomes infected.

She said there have also been “tragic cases” involving husbands and wives being admitted to intensive care units together.

Fatalities

The first COVID-19-related death of a nurse was confirmed today—CBC News reported that 57-year-old Diana Law, a patient-care co-ordinator at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, died on April 14.

After an investigation by the B.C. Coroners Service, an infant from Interior Health who was receiving treatment at B.C. Children’s Hospital and who died in January has now been confirmed as being the youngest individual in the province to die of COVID-19. The specific age of the infant was not given.

B.C. had previously reported on April 19 that another child under the age of the two, who had pre-existing health conditions, had died of COVID-19-related reasons.

B.C. update: April 23 to 26

Henry announced a total of 2,491 new cases over the past three time periods. By date, that includes:

811 new cases from April 23 to 24;
847 new cases from April 24 to 25;
763 new cases from April 25 to 26.

By health region, the weekend total includes:

1,632 new cases in Fraser Health (66 percent);
466 in Vancouver Coastal Health (19 percent);
206 in Interior Health (eight percent);
104 in Northern Health (four percent);
82 in Island Health (three percent)
one person from outside of Canada.

Currently, there are 8,199 active cases, which is a decrease of 643 cases since April 23.

The number of hospitalized cases is slightly less than April 23—484 people are in hospitals (a difference of two people), with 158 of those patients in intensive care units (also two fewer patients since April 23).

Tragically, the number of deaths over the weekend was high: 17 people died of COVID-19-related causes.

By age, Henry said there were:

two people 90 years of age or above;
seven people from 80 to 89 years old;
five people from 70 to 78 years old;
two people from 60 to 69 years old;
one person from 50 to 59 years old.

By date, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said there were nine deaths from April 23 to 24, five deaths from April 24 to 25, and three deaths from April 25 to 26.

The total number of fatalities during the pandemic is now at 1,571 people who have died.

Public health is now monitoring 12,340 people, which is a decrease of 268 people since April 23.

A cumulative total of 116,241 people have recovered, which includes 3,102 recoveries since April 23.

During the pandemic, B.C. has reported a cumulative total of 126,249 cases.

Henry said that 1,635,372 vaccinations have been administered in B.C., and 89,035 second have been administered doses.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix

Province of British Columbia

Outbreaks and exposures

Interior Health declared an outbreak at Orchard Haven longterm care facility in Keremeos on April 24, where one resident and one staff member tested positive.

Currently, there are 15 active outbreaks: eight outbreaks in longterm care facilities and seven in acute care facilities.

None of the five regional health authorities listed any new public exposures.

McDonald’s listed five locations which had staff members who have tested positive:

one employee who last worked on April 19 at 11057–4700 Kingsway in Burnaby;
an employee who last worked on April 21 at 32983 South Fraser Way in Abbotsford;
one employee who last worked on April 21 at 26454 56 Avenue in Langley;
an employee who last worked on April 22 at 537 West Broadway in Vancouver;
one employee who last worked on April 23 at 8586 120th Street in Surrey.

Loblaw added eight stores to its list of locations with staff members who have tested positive.

Three stores were Shoppers Drug Mart locations:

one employee who last worked on April 20 at 3215 St. John Street in Port Moody;
an employee who last worked on April 22 at 17790 Highway 10 in Surrey;
one employee who last worked on April 22 at 1301 Main Street in Penticton.

Five stores were Real Canadian Superstore locations:

one employee who last worked on April 13 at 32136 Lougheed Highway in Mission;
two employees who last worked on April 13 and 18 at 19851 Willowbrook Drive in Langley;
two employees who last worked on April 14 and 19 at 7550 King George Boulevard in Surrey;
four employees who last worked on April 15, 17, and 22 at 14650 104th Avenue in Surrey;
one employee who last worked on April 19 at 45779 Luckakuck Way in Chilliwack.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) added the following nine flights to its lists of public exposures (affected row information is listed at the BCCDC website, when available):

April 14: Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver;
April 14: WestJet 3171, Calgary to Comox;
April 17: Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver;
April 18: Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver;
April 20: WestJet 3344, Kelowna to Calgary;
April 21: Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver;
April 21: Air Canada 185, Delhi to Vancouver;
April 21: WestJet 3387, Calgary to Kelowna;
April 22: WestJet 3115, Calgary to Victoria.