COVID-19 in B.C.: 32 schools with new exposures, 10 deaths, new Richmond testing site, and more

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      Update (November 26):

      Due to data error from Fraser Health, B.C. announced corrected case counts for Fraser Health and the province. For more on the data correction, see this article

      Original article (November 20):

      In the wake of new health orders announced by B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry yesterday, much of the province is trying to figure out either how to adapt, are temporarily shutting down operations, or are cancelling events.

      Today’s new case count is on par with yesterday’s but the number of deaths is high once again and cases are increasing in all other areas.

      Meanwhile, there are two new healthcare outbreaks, and three flights, three grocery stores, two fast-food outlets, and 32 schools with new exposure events.

      New testing site

      Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) announced today’s opening of a new drive-through testing site in Richmond, located at 5911 North Service Road in the JetSet parking lot (at the intersection of Aviation Avenue and North Service Road). This new site is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

      This site has double the testing capacity of the former Richmond site located at Gilbert Road, which permanently closed on November 11.

      As the new site is drive-through-only, walk-in clients can visit the COVID-19 testing collection centre located beside the parkade at Richmond Hospital (7000 Westminister Highway). The new site also does not provide testing for travellers.

      A list of testing sites is available at the VCH website.

      B.C. update: November 20

      Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix announced in a joint statement that there are 516 new cases, including three epi-linked cases, in B.C. today, which is similar to yesterday’s new case count (538 cases).

      Today’s new case count includes:

      • 294 new cases in Fraser Health;
      • 148 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
      • 31 in Interior Health;
      • 25 in Northern Health;
      • 17 in Island Health;
      • no new cases among people from outside Canada.

      Active cases increased again, this time by 193 cases to a current total of 7,122 active cases.

      Hospitalizations also continued to grow, with 10 more people admitted since yesterday. There are now 227 individuals currently hospitalized, and 57 of those patients are in intensive care units (two less than yesterday).

      Public health is monitoring 10,002 people (due to exposure to confirmed cases), which is an increase of only 25 people.

      Unfortunately, the number of deaths has shot up close to the record high reported earlier this week. There were 10 new COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the total fatalities to 331 people who have died during the pandemic.

      A cumulative total of 17,477 people who tested positive have now recovered.

      During the pandemic, B.C. has recorded a cumulative total of 25,474 cases, which includes:

      • 15,742 cases in Fraser Health;
      • 7,404 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
      • 1,203 in Interior Health;
      • 588 in Northern Health;
      • 446 in Island Health;
      • 91 people from outside Canada.
      Province of British Columbia

      Outbreaks and public exposures

      While there aren’t any new community outbreaks, there are two new healthcare outbreaks.

      One is at Agecare Harmony Court Care Centre (7197 Canada Way) in Burnaby.

      Island Health declared an outbreak at Discovery Harbour long-term care home (850 14th Avenue) in Campbell River on November 19, where one staff member has tested positive and is in isolation.

      Two locations of McDonald’s in the Lower Mainland have been reported to have temporarily closed after staff members tested positive:

      • a location at 17960 56th Avenue in the Cloverdale area of Surrey reportedly closed for sanitization on November 18 after an employee, who last worked at the location on November 14, but has since reopened;
      • an outlet at 8191 Alderbridge Way in Richmond was reported to have closed temporarily on November 19 after an employee, who last worked at the location on November 14, tested positive.

      Loblaw announced two of its stores had staff who tested positive:

      • an employee who tested positive last worked at Kevin's Your Independent Grocer (1792A 9th Avenue) in Fernie on November 10;
      • an employee who tested positive last worked at Shoppers Drug Mart (3277 Cambie Street) in Vancouver on November 12.

      T&T Supermarket announced that an employee who tested positive last worked at the Coquitlam store (2740–2929 Barnet Highway) on November 17.

      The B.C. Centre for Disease Control added the following domestic flights confirmed with COVID-19 to its list:

      • November 10: Air Canada 302, Vancouver to Montreal, affected rows 32 to 36;
      • November 12: Air Canada 241, Edmonton to Vancouver, affected rows 23 to 29;
      • November 12: Air Canada/Jazz 8183, Vancouver to Fort St. John, affected rows 5 to 12.
      Clayburn Middle School

      School exposures

      Three health authorities added 32 schools with new exposure dates.

      Interior and Island Health didn’t add any new dates for schools.

      Northern Health listed North Peace Secondary School (9304 86 Street) in Fort St. John as having exposures on November 10, 12, 13, and 16.

      Vancouver Coastal Health added dates for two schools in Vancouver:

      • John Oliver Secondary School (530 East 41st Avenue), which had previous exposures on October 9 and 26, had new exposures from November 9 to 10;
      • David Livingstone Elementary School (315 East 23rd Avenue) also had potential exposures from November 9 to 10.

      Fraser Health had 29 schools with new exposure dates.

      In Abbotsford, four schools had new dates:

      • Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts (36232 Lower Sumas Mountain Road), which previously had exposures event from October 19 to 21 and from October 26 to 29 at its North Poplar Campus, had a new exposure on November 12;
      • Clayburn Middle School (35139 Laburnum Avenue) had an exposure on November 6
      • Rick Hansen Secondary (31150 Blueridge Drive)—which previously had exposures on October 6, 7, and 13; from October 14 to 16; on November 2; and from November 3 and 4—had new exposures from November 9 to 10;
      • W.J. Mouat Secondary (32355 Mouat Drive) had an exposure on November 10.

      In Chilliwack, Little Mountain Elementary (9900 Carleton Street), which previously had exposures on October 26 and from November 2 to 3, had a new exposure event from November 9 to 10.

      In Delta, three schools had new dates:

      • Delta Secondary (4615 51st Street)—which had previous exposures on September 11 and 13, and from November 3 to 4—had new exposures on November 6, 9, and 10;
      • North Delta Secondary (11447 82nd Avenue) had an exposure event from November 12 to 13;
      • South Delta Secondary (750 53rd Street) had an exposure on November 9.

      In Langley, Lynn Fripps Elementary (21020 83rd Avenue) had an exposure on November 9.

      In Maple Ridge, Albion Elementary (10031 240th Street) had an exposure on November 6.

      In New Westminster, Fraser River Middle School (800 Queens Avenue), which previously had exposures from September 15 to 17 and from October 7 to 8, had an exposure on November 6.

      Fraser River Middle School

      In Surrey, 18 schools had new dates:

      • Berkshire Park Elementary (15372 94th Avenue) had exposures from November 12 to 13;
      • Bonaccord Elementary (14986 98 Avenue) had an exposure on November 10;
      • Coast Meridian Elementary (8222 168a Street) had an exposure event from November 9 to 10;
      • Crescent Park Elementary (2440 128th Street), which previously had exposures from October 28 to 30, had a new exposure event from November 9 to 10;
      • Fraser Heights Secondary (16060 108th Avenue)—which had previous exposures on September 30 and October 1, 2, and 16—added November 9 as an exposure date;
      • Henry Bose Elementary (6550 134th Street) had an exposure event from November 9 to 10;
      • Holly Elementary (4625 62 Street), which previously had an exposure on November 4, had new exposures from November 10 to 12;
      • James Ardiel Elementary (13751 112nd Avenue) had an exposure on November 9;
      • Johnston Heights Secondary (15350 99 Avenue)—which previously had exposure event from September 8 to 11; on October 19; and from November 9 to 12—had a new exposure on November 13;
      • Katzie Elementary (6887 194a Street) had an exposure on November 9;
      • Martha Currie Elementary (5811 184 Street) had an exposure on November 10;
      • North Surrey Secondary (15945 96 Avenue)—which previously had incidents on September 14 and from September 24 to 25, and on November 2—added November 10, 12, and 13 as exposure dates;
      •  Rosemary Heights Elementary (15516 36 Avenue), which previously listed potential exposures on September 21 and from September 24 to October 2, added on November 9;
      • Sullivan Heights Secondary (6248 144 Street)—which had previous incidents on September 8, from September 30 to October 1; from October 13 to 15, and on October 19; from October 20 to 22; on October 30; from November 3 to 5; and from November 4 to 5 and 12—added November 10 and 13 as new dates;
      • Cornerstone Montessori (14724 84th Avenue) had an exposure event from November 9 to 10;
      • Guru Angad Dev Elementary (13479 77 Avenue)—which had previous exposures on October 2 and 9; from October 29 to 30; and from November 2 to 4—added November 6 and 9 as exposure dates;
      • St. Michael’s Elementary School (9387 Holmes Street) on November 6;
      • Surrey Muslim School (119–7475 135 Street) had exposures on November 6 and 12. 
      Berkshire Park Elementary
      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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