Two new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the Northern Health region, B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said on Tuesday.
There has now been 45 total cases in northern B.C since the beginning of the pandemic, Henry said. The number of people hospitalized in the north remained at three, Health Minister Adrian Dix said.
Across B.C there were 55 new cases, bringing the total provincial number to 2,053 since the beginning of the outbreak, Henry said.
"The majority of our cases today are in Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health linked to two community outbreaks at poultry facilities," she said.
A total of 80 cases, up 21 from yesterday, have been linked to outbreaks at the Superior Poultry and United Poultry plants in the Lower Mainland.
The majority of new cases are being linked to known outbreaks "which is one of the indicators that we can get to that place and start having more contact," Henry said.
"The premier will be speaking more about our plans in the days and weeks to come," she added. "
Across B.C., 94 people were hospitalized from COVID-19, of which 37 were in critical care, Henry said. Two more deaths were reported, increasing the death toll of the pandemic in B.C. to 105.
A total of 1,231 people in the province have fully recovered from the disease as of Tuesday. On Monday the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 35 people in the Northern Health region had fully recovered from COVID-19.
Henry said she and everyone in the B.C. government knows that public health restrictions put in place have had social and economic impacts on British Columbians, but lifting some restrictions will require people to still follow rules around social distancing, hand washing and staying home when sick.
"These are the core tenets that will keep us safe even as we increase our social contacts... in the days ahead," Henry said. "(But) for now we need to hold this line."
HAVE SYMPTOMS? GET TESTED
The provincial government has expanded testing for COVID-19 to include anyone with cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms – no matter how mild – according to a press release issued by Northern Health on Tuesday.
Anyone with symptoms including fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, painful swallowing, stuffy or runny nose, loss of sense of smell, headache, muscle aches, fatigue or loss of appetite should get tested.
Testing can be done by family doctors, walk-in clinics, urgent primary care centres or community collection centres. The Prince George collection centre is located in Parkwood Mall. To arrange testing, call your doctor's office or the Northern Health COVID-19 online clinic at 1-844-645-7811.
Anyone seeking a COVID-19 test should self-isolate until they receive a negative result. Most test results are available within 24 to 48 hours.
