No new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the north on Friday.
A joint statement issued by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said there were 10 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. since they last reported on Thursday. The total number of cases in B.C. since the beginning of the pandemic rose to 2,878, while the number in the north remained at 65.
"There are 159 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,545 people who tested positive have recovered," the joint statement said. "Of the total COVID-19 cases, 17 individuals are hospitalized, five of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.”
There are currently no active cases in the north, according to information released by the B.C. Centre Disease Control on Thursday, and no deaths in the north have been linked to the disease.
Henry and Dix also reported one additional death in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, bringing the provincial death toll from the pandemic to 174.
Since the start of the pandemic, B.C. has tested 185,759 people for COVID-19, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported on Thursday. Of those 7,865 tests were conducted in the Northern Health region.
In June Northern Health has continued to conduct 69 to 120 new COVID-19 tests per day.
"This morning, the First Nations Health Authority shared the latest data on COVID-19 among First Nations people in B.C., with 86 First Nations individuals having tested positive for COVID-19 through June 14, 2020," Henry and Dix said in their joint statement. "The low impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous peoples in B.C. that we have seen so far is a result of ongoing collaboration and an unwavering commitment by community and health leaders to put appropriate measures in place to protect communities. The enhanced measures and additional support that are now in place, especially for rural and remote communities, will help to keep everyone safe until an effective treatment or vaccine is available."
Currently in the province there are five outbreaks in long-term care and assisted-living facilities, and two other community outbreaks, the statement said.
"We have seen that by working together, we can ensure the right tools and resources are in place to provide the care and support needed to effectively respond to COVID-19," the statement said. "Every day that we do our part and take steps to protect our families, elders and loved ones makes a difference. Let's keep going."
