COVID-19 in B.C.: 38 schools and 17 flights with new exposures, five deaths, and more

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      After B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announcing new health orders were effective as of November 7, some impacts were immediately felt, such as group physical activities shutting down across the Lower Mainland.

      Meanwhile, Henry had warned businesses that they would be increasing active inspections, particularly food and beverage establishments that aren't following safety plans.

      However, the effects of these measures upon the escalating case numbers won’t be seen until next week.

      Henry explained that the current numbers reflect results from seven to 10 days ago.

      During this time period, she said they will be closely watching where exposure events are happening, whether or not the orders were effective, any new situations that might develop, anything overseen or missed, and more.

      She said that the order could potentially be extended, changed or modified, based on what is seen within the next week or so.

      However, she said that they want these measure to be time-limited, as they know British Columbians have proven they know what to do when required to do so.

      “We want this to be a temporary thing and we know we can do this,” she said.

      Meanwhile, there were 38 schools, 17 flights, and seven stores with exposure events that were announced over the past three days.

      B.C. COVID-19 update: November 7 to 9

      New case counts remained high, slightly dipping yesterday.

      Henry announced there were 536 new cases from November 7 to 8, followed by 462 new cases from November 8 to 9.

      A total of 998 new cases from those two time periods include:

      • 737 new cases in Fraser Health;
      • 210 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
      • 28 in Interior Health;
      • 12 in Island Health;
      • 11 in Northern Health;
      • no new cases among people from outside Canada.

      Currently, there are 4,891 active cases. That’s an increase of 1,150 people over three time periods since active cases were last provided on November 6 (numbers for active and hospitalized cases and monitored people weren’t provided during the update on November 7).

      At the moment, there are 133 people in hospital (up 29 people since November 6), and 43 of those patients are in intensive care units (up 15 patients since November 6).

      Public health is monitoring 9,179 people (for exposure to confirmed cases), which is an increase of 1,292 people since November 6.

      Tragically, there have been five new deaths over the past two time periods since November 7, bringing the total number of fatalities to 281 deaths during the pandemic.

      A total of 13,425 people have now recovered.

      During the pandemic, there has been a cumulative total of 18,714 cases confirmed, including:

      • 11,257 cases in Fraser Health;
      • 5,699 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
      • 898 in Interior Health;
      • 469 in Northern Health;
      • 301 in Island Health;
      • 90 people from outside Canada.

      There were 10,688 new tests conducted over the past day, with a cumulative total of 916,803 tests conducted during the pandemic.

      B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix
      Province of British Columbia

      Outbreaks

      Unfortunately, there are two new healthcare outbreaks:

      • Harrison Pointe (21616 52 Avenue) in Langley, where Fraser Health stated four staff members and two residents have tested positive;
      • Normana (7725 4th Street) in Burnaby, where one staff member has tested positive.

      The good news is that three healthcare outbreaks have now been declared over:

      • PICS Assisted Living in Surrey;
      • Gateway Assisted Living for Seniors in Surrey;
      • Fair Haven Homes Burnaby Lodge in Burnaby.

      Active outbreaks are at 37 healthcare facilities, with 32 of them at longterm care facilities and five in acute-care facilities. A total of 1,255 cases (535 staff and 720 residents) have been involved in healthcare outbreaks during the pandemic.

      Stores and restaurants

      The restaurant Bow and Stern (2551 Montrose Avenue) in Abbotsford previously had an outbreak from October 24 to 26 and Fraser Health has listed another exposure event at the location from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on October 29; 3 to 10 p.m. on October 30; 3 to 10 p.m. on October 31; and 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on November 1.

      Sobeys announced two stores with staff who tested positive.

      An employee who tested positive last worked at FreshCo (27566 Fraser Highway) in Aldergrove on October 28.

      An employee who tested positive last worked at the Safeway (1611 Davie Street) In Vancouver’s West End on November 1.

      Loblaw reported employees at five stores tested positive.

      In Vancouver’s West End, two employees who last worked at Your Independent Grocer (1255 Davie Street) on October 27 and October 31 tested positive.

      An employee who last worked at No Frills (34249 Marshall Road) in Abbotsford on October 31 has tested positive.

      An employee who tested positive last worked at Shoppers Drug Mart (4827 Kingsway) in Burnaby on November 1.

      An employee at Real Canadian Superstore who tested positive last worked at the 8195 120th Street location in Delta on November 4.

      An employee at Loblaws City Market who tested positive last worked at the 1650 Lonsdale Avenue location in North Vancouver also on November 4.

      École Glenrosa Middle School

      School exposures

      All regional health authorities reported schools with new exposure events for a total of a total of 38 schools.

      Island Health added one school: Dover Bay Secondary (6135 McGirr Road) in Nanaimo, which had an exposures on November 2 and 5.

      Northern Health also added one school with new exposures: Hudson's Hope Elementary and Junior Secondary School (10441 Holland Street) in Hudson’s Hope, which had exposures from October 26 to November 4.

      Interior Health added five schools in Kelowna:

      • Rose Valley Elementary (1680 Westlake Road in West Kelowna) had exposure from October 19 to 30;
      • Kelowna Secondary School (1079 Raymer Avenue)—which previously had an exposure event from October 19 to 21; a second case on October 21; and a third exposure event from October 28 to 30—has had four new cases from October 2 to 4;
      • École Glenrosa Middle School (2974 Glen Abbey Place) in West Kelowna had a case on November 2 and 3;
      • Okanagan Mission Secondary School (4544 Gordon Drive), which previously had exposures from October 28 to 30, had another case from November 2 to 3;
      • North Glenmore Elementary School (125 Snowsell Street North) had one case on November 6.

      Meanwhile, Fraser Health added 24 schools with new exposures.

      In Chilliwack, the majority of the schools that were sent early notification letters about an outbreak at Capella Dance Academy in Chilliwack have since had exposure events, including:

      • A.D. Rundle Middle (45660 Hocking Avenue) from October 26 to 29;
      • Chilliwack Secondary (46363 Yale Road), which previously had an exposure event from September 22 to 24, had another exposure from October 26 to 29;
      • Little Mountain Elementary (9900 Carleton Street) had exposures on October 26 and from November 2 to 3;
      • Sardis Secondary (45460 Stevenson Road), which previously had exposures from October 26 to 29, added October 30 as an exposure date;
      • Vedder Elementary (45850 Promontory Road) had exposures from October 26 to 30, and from November 2 to 4;
      • Vedder Middle (45560 South Sumas Road), which previously had exposures from October 26 to 28 and on October 30, had added October 29 as an exposure date.

      The schools that were sent notification letters but have not yet had exposure events are Chilliwack Middle School, Unsworth Elementary, and Hope Secondary.

      In Abbotsford, four schools had new exposure dates:

      • Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts (36232 Lower Sumas Mountain Road), which previously had an exposure event from October 19 to 21, had an additional exposure event from October 26 to 29 at its North Poplar Campus;
      • Eugene Reimer Middle (3433 Firhill Drive) in Abbotsford, which previously had an exposure on October 5, had an additional exposure from October 26 to 27;
      • Rick Hansen Secondary (31150 Blueridge Drive)—which previously had exposures on October 6, 7, and 13, and from October 14 to 16—has had another exposure incident on November 2;
      • St. John Brebeuf Regional Secondary (2747 Townline Road) had exposures from October 27 to 29.

      In Burnaby, four schools had new exposures:

      • Kitchener Elementary (1351 Gilmore Avenue) had exposures from October 26 to 30;
      • Glenwood Elementary (5787 Marine Drive) had exposures from October 27 to 28;
      • Burnaby North Secondary (751 Hammarskjold Drive)—which previously had exposures on from October 8 to 9, and October 14 to 15—had another exposure from October 28 to 30;
      • St. Thomas More Collegiate (7450 12th Avenue) had exposures on October 29 and November 2.

      In Langley, R.E. Mountain Secondary (7633 202a Street) had an exposure from November 2 to 4.

      In Maple Ridge, Samuel Robertson Technical (10445 245th Street), which had previous exposure events from October 26 to 27 and October 28 to 29, had added October 30 as an additional date.

      In New Westminster, New Westminster Secondary (835 8th Street)—which previously had exposures from September 15 to 17 and from October 14 to 16 and 20 to 21—had another exposure from October 26 to 27.

      In Surrey, seven schools were added:

      • Crescent Park Elementary (2440 128th Street) had exposures from October 28 to 30;
      • Lena Shaw Elementary School (14250 100a Avenue), which previously had exposures from October 5 to 9, had new exposures from October 28 to 30;
      • Newton Elementary (13359 81 Avenue) had exposures from October 27 to 29;
      • Ocean Cliff Elementary (12550 20 Avenue) had exposures from October 26 to 28;
      • Princess Margaret Secondary (12870 72nd Avenue), which previously had exposures on September 11 and on October 12, 15, and 16, had exposures on October 26 and 29;
      • Tamanawis Secondary School (12600 66 Avenue)—which previously had incidents on September 17 and 30; October 2 and 6; from October 13 to 16; and on October 19—has added October 26 to 28 as an exposure event;
      • Khalsa Elementary—Old Yale Road campus (10677 124th Street), which previously had exposures on September 1 and 4 and on October 5, has had additional exposures from October 27 to 30 and from November 2 to 4.
      St. John Brebeuf Regional Secondary

      Vancouver Coastal Health had seven more schools with exposure events.

      In Richmond, Richmond Secondary School (7171 Minoru Boulevard), which previously had exposures from October 7 to 9, had added November 2 to 3 as an exposure event.

      In Vancouver, there were six schools added:

      • Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith Elementary School (6901 Elliott Street) had an exposure event from November 2 to 3;
      • J.W. Sexsmith Elementary School (7410 Columbia Street) had exposures on October 30 and November 2;
      • Britannia Secondary School (1001 Cotton Drive)—which previously had exposures from September 30 to October 2 and October 5; and on October 16, 21, and 22—had a new exposure on October 30;
      • Killarney Secondary School (6454 Killarney Street), which had a previous exposure from October 29 to 30, had a new exposure event from October 26 to November 1;
      • Vancouver Montessori School (8650 Barnard Street) had an exposure event from November 2 to 3;
      • St. John’s School (2215 West 10th Avenue), which previously had an exposure event from October 26 to 28, had another exposure event on November 2 to 3.
      Newton Elementary

      Flights

      From November 7 to 9, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) added the following 17 flights confirmed with COVID-19 to its list:

      October 27: Air Canada 226, Vancouver to Calgary;

      October 27: Air Canada 855, London to Vancouver;

      October 28: WestJet 164, Vancouver to Edmonton;

      October 28: Flair 8417, Vancouver to Toronto;

      October 29: WestJet 183, Calgary to Kelowna;

      October 30: Swoop 118, Abbotsford to Hamilton;

      October 31: Alaska Airlines 3304, Seattle to Vancouver;

      November 1: Air Canada 314, Vancouver to Montreal;

      November 2: Swoop 406, Toronto to Abbotsford;

      November 2: WestJet 711, Toronto to Vancouver;

      November 2: Air Canada 8075, Vancouver to Victoria;

      November 2: Air Canada 855, London (U.K.) to Vancouver;

      November 2: Lufthansa 492, Frankfurt to Vancouver;

      November 2: United Airlines 1641, Denver to Vancouver;

      November 3: Air Canada 305, Montreal to Vancouver;

      November 4: Air Canada 106, Vancouver to Toronto;

      November 4: Air Canada 123, Toronto to Vancouver.

      For affected row information, visit the BCCDC website.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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