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More than 40,000 travellers arriving by land or air screened for COVID-19 so far

Latest community outbreak of virus is at Matsqui Institution.
4bonnie-thursday

At her daily briefing B.C.'s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said screening of travellers is continuing.

"We've now screened over 40,000 travellers who have come into B.C. from air or land," said Henry, adding that125 people have also been provided accommodation for self-isolation when people come into the province.

Henry added that in B.C. 52 per cent of cases from COVID-19 in province are female. However, 62 per cent of deaths from COVID-19 in province are male. In addition, 60 per cent of men have been hospitalized, and 64 of those who have needed critical care have been male.

She also addressed the issue of mask wearing commenting on the federal government's endorsement of using non-medical masks or cloth face coverings in public settings. When it is difficult to keep a safe physical distance for an extended period of time-for example, when you are on transit-"this is a good way for you to protect those around you," said Henry.

"We have to remember that face coverings keep our droplets in and don't prevent transmission from others. The best ways for us to stay safe is to wash our hands, maintain a safe physical distance from others and keep our 'rules' for social interactions top of mind."

B.C.'s latest community outbreak of the COVID-19 virus is at the medium-security Matsqui Institution, said Henry at her regular briefing on May 21.

This is the second correctional facility to have an outbreak, after a large one at the Mission Institution. There has only been one case so far recorded at the Matsqui Institution, and Henry said that the case was "identified early" and had "few risky contacts."

Overall, there have been 12 new cases of the novel coronavirus identified in the past 24 hours, for a total of 2,479 people. Of the 307 people who have had the virus and have not yet either recovered or died, 43 are in hospital with eight of those in intensive care units.

The number of people who have active cases of the virus has been dropping steadily.

There were three new deaths in the past 24 hours, for a total of 152 people since the virus first started circulating in January.

The breakdown of all infections by health region is:

• 887 in Vancouver Coastal Health (up two from yesterday);

• 1,223 in Fraser Health (up nine from yesterday);

• 126 in Island Health;

• 183 in Interior Health (up one from yesterday); and

• 60 in Northern Health.

Some regions have far fewer active cases than other, but Henry was clear that she would not start having different restrictions in place in different health regions.

"We do know that people move," she said.

Seniors' care homes and living facilities remain places that house many of the cases. There are now 14 active outbreaks at those care homes, as well as three acute-care facilities. That number is down one from yesterday because an outbreak at the Windermere Care Centre long-term care facility has been declared over.

So far 537 infected people have had a connection to seniors' living facilities, including 329 residents and 208 workers.

The outbreak at East Vancouver's United Poultry is newly considered to be over, and the plant has reopened. Outbreaks at other poultry-processing facilities that have had cases of the virus are also considered to be over.

Henry warned that there could be a second wave of the virus. She pointed to South Korea as a place that is currently battling a second wave of cases, with the outbreaks largely able to be traced back to people visiting nightclubs. While B.C.'s restaurants and pubs have started to reopen, there is not yet any clear timeline in B.C. for when nightclubs will be able to reopen.

To read the original BIV story go here For the VIA story go here.