Active, monitored, and intensive-care cases have all continued to increase.

There were also three healthcare outbreaks, a new community outbreak at a vacation rental, two stores and four flights with confirmed cases, and four schools with new exposure dates.

While Fraser Health announced yesterday that it was opening a second testing site in Surrey, Interior Health announced today that it is expanding testing in two cities.

COVID-19 testing at the Kelowna Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) has relocated to a dedicated testing centre at 2180 Ethel Street (entrance on Glenwood Avenue) in Kelowna, which will enable it to expand its testing capacity.

Similarly, testing in Vernon has relocated from the Vernon Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) to a dedicated testing centre at the Vernon Health Centre (1440 14th Avenue) in Vernon, which will help to boost the amount of testing. Interior Health notes that some testing will be conducted at UPCC for special circumstances during surges in demand. 

More information about B.C. Interior testing sites is available at the Interior Health website.

Daily update: November 4

The number of new cases remains high and, like the three-consecutive days on the weekend, over the 300 case mark.

Today, B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced there are 335 new cases (including seven epi-linked cases).

The number of people in hospital—92 individuals—remains the same as yesterday, but three more people are now in intensive care units (ICU), raising the total to 25 ICU patients.

Meanwhile, the number of active cases has increased by 103 people to 3,120 active cases.

Public health is monitoring 7,133 people, which is 245 more people than yesterday.

Unfortunately, there are three new healthcare facility outbreaks:

• Hawthorne Seniors Care Community (2111 Hawthorne Avenue) in Port Coquitlam, where Fraser Health stated one resident has tested positive and which had a previous outbreak on October 30;
• White Rock Seniors Village (1183 Maple Street), where Fraser Health confirmed one staff member has tested positive;
• Village at Mill Creek (1450 Sutherland Avenue) in Kelowna, where Interior Health stated two staff members have tested positive.

The outbreak at Peace Portal Seniors Village in Surrey has been declared over.

Active outbreaks are currently at 31 healthcare facilities, with 29 at longterm care or assisted-living facilities and two at acute-care facilities.

In addition, there is one new community outbreak at La Casa Cottages vacation rentals (6808 Westside Road) in West Kelowna, with seven people reportedly testing positive.

Meanwhile, an outbreak at Tim Hortons (3340 River Ranch Road) in Merritt, which was announced on October 16, has been declared over.

Sadly, one new COVID-19 related death has brought B.C.’s total number of fatalities to 273 deaths.

A total of 12,659 people (78 percent) who tested positive have now recovered.

During the pandemic, a cumulative total of 16,135 cases have been reported in B.C., with regional breakdowns as follows:

• 9,439 cases in Fraser Health;

• 5,097 in Vancouver Coastal Health;

• 803 in Interior Health;

• 432 in Northern Health;

• 274 in Island Health;

• 90 people live outside Canada.

Stores and flights

Loblaw reported two Real Canadian Superstore locations have had staff members who tested positive.

One was the 14560 104th Avenue store in Surrey, where the employee who tested positive was last there on October 30.

The other location was at the 45779 Luckakuck Way store in Chilliwack, where an employee who tested positive was last there on October 27.

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

• October 22: Air Canada flight 226, from Calgary to Vancouver, with affected rows 16 to 22;

• October 25: Air Canada flight 226, from Vancouver to Calgary, with affected rows 15 to 21;

• October 28: Flair flight 8137, from Winnipeg to Kelowna, with affected rows 7 to 13;

• November 2: Swoop flight 109, from Hamilton to Abbotsford, with affected rows 15 to 21.

Anyone in the specified rows on these flights should monitor themselves for 14 days after the date of flight. If symptoms develop, immediately self-isolate and contact 811 (if in B.C.) or your local healthcare provider for testing information. 

School exposures

There weren’t any schools with new exposure events reported by Vancouver Coastal Health, Island Health, or Northern Health.

Interior Health added exposure dates for one school.

In Kelowna, Kelowna Secondary School (1079 Raymer Avenue), which previously had an exposure event from October 19 to 21 and a second case on October 21, has had a third exposure event from October 28 to 30. 

Meanwhile, Fraser Health had three schools with new exposure dates.

In Coquitlam, two schools had new dates:

• Gleneagle Secondary (1195 Lansdowne Drive), which had previous exposures on October 22 and from October 26 to 28, added October 21 as an exposure date;

• Pinetree Secondary (3000 Pinewood Avenue), which had previous exposures from October 15 to 16 and 19 to 20, had added October 26, 28, and 29 as additional dates.

In Chilliwack, Unity Christian (50950 Hack Brown Road), which had previous exposures on October 20 to 22 and October 26, had additional exposures from October 26 to 29.