COVID-19 in B.C.: Over 550 new cases; 15 flights with cases; Site C outbreak; one new healthcare outbreak; and more

by Craig Takeuchi on August 18th, 2021 at 5:55 PM

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Case numbers are continuing to grow in all regions and categories, except for hospitalizations today.

There are also 15 flights with confirmed cases, one new healthcare outbreak, and one new community outbreak at a worksite.

B.C. update: August 18

Today, the B.C. Health Ministry is reporting 553 new COVID-19 cases (including one epi-linked case).

Active cases continue to increase. Currently, there are 5,580 active COVID-19 cases, which is 284 more cases since yesterday.

The new and active cases include:

230 new cases in Interior Health, with 3,203 total active cases (119 more cases than yesterday);
152 new cases in Fraser Health, with 990 total active cases (58 more cases);
97 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, with 811 total active cases (53 more cases);
38 new cases in Island Health, with 337 total active cases (30 more cases);
36 new cases in Northern Health, with 230 total active cases (24 more cases);
no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada, with nine total active cases (same number as yesterday).

Hospitalized cases decreased by four people, leaving 107 individuals in hospitals, and 53 of those patients are in intensive care units (two fewer than yesterday).

Sadly, there is one new death (Fraser Health) that has been reported. The overall total number of fatalities in B.C. during the pandemic is now at 1,782 people who have died of COVID-19-related reasons.

With 255 recoveries since yesterday, there are now 150,102 people who have recovered during the pandemic.

B.C. has recorded a total of 157,567 cases over the course of the pandemic so far.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix, with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry

Province of British Columbia

Vaccinations

Since the provincial immunization program began in December, B.C. has administered 7,265,222 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

As of today, 82.8 percent (3,837,946) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 73.8 percent (3,419,832) received their second dose.

In addition, 83.6 percent (3,616,043) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 75.1 percent (3,248,763) received their second dose.

Outbreaks and exposures

Currently, there are 11 active outbreaks in healthcare facilities.

There is one new assisted-living outbreak at Nicola Meadows in Merritt.

The two other outbreaks in assisted- or independent-living facilities are at Hawthorn Park and David Lloyd (Interior Health).

The eight remaining outbreaks are in longterm care facilities:

Kin Village West Court, Evergreen Baptist Care Society (Fraser Health);
Village at Mill Creek, Nelson Jubilee Manor, Kootenay Street Village, Cottonwoods Care Centre, and Brookhaven Care Centre (Interior Health);
Discovery Harbour (Island Health).

(The B.C. Health Ministry stated today that due to a reporting error, the Village at Mill Creek outbreak was erroneously listed as an assisted-living outbreak on August 16 and 17, and it has been corrected as a longterm care outbreak.)

Northern Health has declared an outbreak at the Site C hydroelectric dam project in Northeastern B.C. This declaration follows the identification of a cluster of cases among employees that was previously announced on August 13.

So far, there have been 41 confirmed cases, with 32 of the cases currently active, and over 110 close contacts of confirmed cases are now in self-isolation. In addition, there are several active clusters in association with this outbreak.

Northern Health stated that the cases are mostly among unvaccinated workers, and it has not yet deemed closure orders necessary for the overall project or individual project worksites.

Meanwhile, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) added the following 15 domestic and international flights to its public exposure lists (for affected row information, visit the BCCDC website):