THE NUMBER OF new COVID-19 infections in B.C. continues to fall, and in the days to come British Columbians can look forward to the easing of some restrictions, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday.
However, she said parents should not expect schools to be back open this summer, and would not say which types of services and businesses will be allowed to open first.
There were 39 new COVID-19 cases between Friday and Saturday, and 11 since Sunday, bringing the total to 1,998, with 1,190 of those people now recovered.
There have been three additional deaths since Saturday, and two additional long-term care facilities with at least one confirmed case of COVID-19, bringing the total of care homes and assisted living facilities with infections to 21. The two new cases at long-term care homes are at Valhaven Home MSA Manor.
Outside of care homes, there have been outbreaks at two poultry processing plants. A total of 25 workers at Superior Poultry have tested positive, and 34 at United Poultry, Henry said. There are also a total of 118 cases at a federal prison in Mission.
Henry said there have also been 11 British Columbians infected from an outbreak at the Kearl Lake oilsands work camp in Alberta.
Despite some of these outbreaks, the trend of new cases is going down, as are the number of patients in intensive care.
"We're now seeing a decrease in numbers," Henry said, adding, "we are getting close to that time where we can start to open up."
"We're now making plans to ease restrictions, with the understanding of what we might face in the coming months," she said, but would not say what services or businesses would open first or when.
"We are putting together... the parameters for which we think we need to have in place to make sure that we can open up safely."
Asked about when schools might reopen to some students, Henry said: "I think it's safe to say we're not thinking about school over the summer.
"I expect there will be some children coming back to school before the end of this session, but what that looks like is still being worked out."
Here are today's COVID-19 numbers for Monday, April 27, compared with numbers from the last reporting period, April 25, in brackets:
New cases: 50 (95)
Total: 1,998 (1,948)
Recovered: 1,190 (1,137)
Hospitalized: 97 (96)
Intensive care: 36 (41)
Deaths: 103 (100)
Long-term care, assisted living: 21 (19)
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