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B.C. COVID-19 infections near 10,000

With 115 new infections, the total number of people ever infected with COVID-19 is 9,956
dr-bonnie-henry-flickr
Dr. Bonnie Henry. (via Flickr/Government of BC)

With new daily COVID-19 infections in B.C. regularly over 100, it is likely that the province will cross the threshold of 10,000 cases by tomorrow. With 115 infections detected overnight, the province has now detected 9,956 cases since the virus that spawned a global pandemic was first discovered in B.C. in January.

There were 6,766 tests done overnight—a lower number than in recent days. The positive-test rate was 1.7 per cent, which is up significantly from recent days, but lower than it has been.

This is the sixth straight day that new infections in B.C. have been more than 100, and the average number of new cases per day in B.C. in the first seven days of October is 134. That's more than five times the average of 23.7 new cases each day in July.

B.C. rising number of new COVID-19 infections come as cases have also been rising across Canada.

Canada's Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Oct. 7 that the number of daily COVID-19 cases reported in Canada increased 40 per cent last week, compared to the week before. She said in a statement that Canada’s average daily count of new COVID-19 cases hit 2,052 over the past seven days, nearly 10 times the low it reached last July.

There are three more individuals actively infected today than there were yesterday: 1,387. The vast majority of those people are self-isolating at home, but 71 people are in hospital with 15 of those in intensive care units.

No new deaths were recorded, meaning that the death toll in B.C. from the disease stays at 244.

There are 3,042 people who are actively being monitored by health officials as a result of known exposure to identified infections.

All health regions in B.C. saw new COVID-19 cases overnight.

The breakdown of all known infections in B.C. by health region is now:
• 3,644 in Vancouver Coastal Health (up 32);
• 5,119 in Fraser Health (up 81);
• 222 in Island Health (up one);
• 557 in Interior Health (up one);
• 325 in Northern Health (up one); and
• 90 people who reside outside Canada (down one). It is not known why this number went down.

"There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks," provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and deputy minister of health Steven Brown said in a joint statement. "The outbreak at Rideau Retirement Centre has been declared over."

There remain three active outbreaks at B.C. hospitals, all of which are in the Lower Mainland:
• Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey;
• St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver; and
• Delta Hospital in Delta.

There now 15 outbreaks at seniors' long-term care or assisted-living facilities are at:
• Haro Park Centre long-term care facility in Vancouver;
• Banfield Pavilion long-term care facility in Vancouver;
• Point Grey Private Hospital long-term care facility in Vancouver;
• Harrison West at Elim Village in Surrey;
• Peace Portal Seniors Village in Surrey;
• Cherington Place long-term care facility in Surrey;
• Evergreen Hamlets long-term care facility in Surrey;
• Chartwell Crescent Gardens in Surrey;
• Langley Lodge in Langley;
• White Rock Seniors' Village in White Rock;
• Thornebridge Gardens in New Westminster;
• KinVillage assisted living facility in Tsawwassen;
• Milieu Children and Family Services Society community-living facility in Courtenay;
• New Vista Care Home long-term care facility in Burnaby; and
• George Derby Centre in Burnaby.


The original article appeared here.