COVID-19 in B.C.: Two schools with cases, health violation tickets issued, and hospitalized cases continue to rise

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      Although new cases were lower than the weekend and the number of active cases remain on par with yesterday, the number of people requiring hospitalization continues to rise.

      There’s one new healthcare outbreak, and two Metro Vancouver schools and three more flights have reported cases.

      Meanwhile, a Burnaby business was fined for violating health orders.

      Daily update: September 15

      B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix provided a B.C. COVID-19 update in a statement today.

      The number of new cases today—97 (including one epi-linked case)—is lower than the weekend totals (which exceeded 100) but higher than yesterday’s count (61 cases).

      While the number of active cases has decreased by four people to 1,590 active cases, the number of people in hospital is still continuing to increase.

      Today, there are now 63 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19 (up from 58 people yesterday), with 20 of those patients in intensive care (up from 16 yesterday).

      Public health is currently monitoring 3,001 people, due to exposure to confirmed cases—that’s 46 people less than yesterday.

      Unfortunately, there’s another healthcare outbreak, this time at Opal by Element (438 West King Edward Avenue) in Vancouver Coastal Health. Active outbreaks are now at 11 longterm care facilities and three acute-care facilities.

      But there weren’t any new community outbreaks declared.

      The good news is that no new deaths were announced. Unfortunately, there has been a total of 219 deaths during the pandemic.

      During the pandemic, there has been a cumulative total of 7,376 cases, with:

      • 2,608 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health;

      • 3,784 in Fraser Health;
      • 479 in the Interior Health
      • 195 in Island Health region;
      • 225 in Northern Health;
      • 85 cases of people from outside Canada.

      A cumulative total of 5,548 people who tested positive have since recovered.

      B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix, with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry
      Province of British Columbia

      Community exposures

      Two schools in the Lower Mainland have reported confirmed cases on their premises, according to CTV News.

      One was Delta Secondary School, which had an individual (who hasn’t been identified as a student or staff member), who has tested positive, at the school on September 11.

      The other was Johnson Heights Secondary in Surrey had someone, who has tested positive, at the school from September 8 to 11.

      Meanwhile, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control added three domestic flights confirmed with COVID-19 to its list.

      • September 4: Air Canada flight 242 from Vancouver to Edmonton, affected rows 22 to 28;

      • September 5: Air Transat flight 771 from Vancouver to Montreal, affected rows 32 to 38;

      • September 8: Air Transat flight 932 from Toronto to Vancouver, affected rows 5 to 9.

      Anyone on these flights in the affected rows should minimize contact with other people for 14 days (from the flight date) while monitoring symptoms. If symptoms develop, immediately self-isolate and call 811 about testing.

      Health violations

      Once again, B.C. Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth has extended the provincial state of emergency, this time to September 29. It was originally declared back on March 18.

      After Farnworth authorized officers to issued tickets for violating provincial health orders for events or gatherings on August 21, officers had issued 14 tickets as of September 12. That includes eight $2,000 tickets to owners or organizers and six $200 tickets to individuals.

      Among them was one to a party promoter of house party in West Vancouver on August 28 that had over 200 guests.

      Burnaby RCMP reportedly issued the owner of an unnamed business in the 2800 block of North Road in Burnaby a $2,300 violation ticket on September 11, which was found serving customers after the mandated time of 10 p.m. and after warnings were given during two visits to the location earlier on the same evening.

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

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