B.C. continues to move in the right direction, as COVID-19 case counts continue to lower and a weekly report shows overall decreases throughout the province.

That said, deaths continue to occur, and are a tragic reminder of the risks still present.  

B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix will present a monthly modelling update at the briefing scheduled tomorrow (June 10). 

B.C. update: June 9

B.C. is reporting 148 new cases of COVID-19 today, according to a joint statement from B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

By region, the total includes:

• 75 new cases in Fraser Health region;
• 32 in Interior Health;
• 23 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 10 in Island Health;
• eight in the Northern Health region;
• no one from outside of Canada.

With a drop of 75 cases, there are currently 1,975 cases active in the province.

With eight fewer hospitalized cases since yesterday, there are 195 individuals are currently in hospitals, and 47 of those patients (10 fewer than yesterday) are in intensive care units (ICUs).

Despite the reduction in cases, there are three new COVID-19-related deaths. The total number of fatalities during the pandemic is now at 1,725 people who have died in B.C.

With 227 recoveries since yesterday, 142,106 have now recovered from COVID-19.

During the pandemic so far, B.C. has recorded a cumulative total of 145,843 COVID-19 cases.

In B.C.’s immunization program, 3,749,758 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered, and 390,264 of those are second doses.

Today, we are reporting that 75 percent of adults in B.C. and 72 percent of those 12 years and older have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

B.C. weekly report: May 23 to 29

Today, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) issued its weekly surveillance report for May 23 to 29 (Week 21).

During that time period, there was a total of 1,529 COVID-19 cases, which is an 80 percent decrease since the peak in Week 14.

The report stated that incidence decreased in all five regional health authorities, as well as all age groups.

In contrast to previous reports of high increases among those up to age 40, the “sharpest declines” were observed among those in age groups from ages 15 to 39 years old, according to the report.

The report also stated that there has been a “large and sustained decline” in cases and deaths among residents at longterm care facilities.

Hospitalizations and admissions to ICUs declined to 160 hospital admissions and 33 ICU admissions.

Unfortunately, what did remain the same was the number of fatalities: there has been an average of 26 deaths from weeks 7 to 21.

There were two new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and adolescents (MIS-C) in Week 21, for a cumulative total of 14 cases that have been confirmed so far.

Exposures and outbreaks

Good news: none of the five regional health authorities listed any new healthcare or community outbreaks, public exposure events, or businesses closed due to COVID-19.

The BCCDC added the following flights to its public exposure lists (affected row information is available at the BCCDC website when available):

• June 3: Philippine Airlines 166, Manila to Vancouver;
• June 4: Air Canada/Jazz 8408, Vancouver to Kelowna;
• June 6: Air Canada/Jazz 8421, Kelowna to Vancouver.

Loblaw stated that an employee who tested positive last worked on June 2 at the Real Canadian Superstore at 14650 104th Avenue in Surrey.

Sobeys listed the Safeway at 1611 Davie Street in Vancouver as having one employee who tested positive and who last worked on June 1.