The number of cases of COVID-19 in northern B.C. hit triple-digits for the first time on Tuesday.
A joint statement issued on Tuesday afternoon by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said the total number of cases of COVID-19 in the Northern Health region since the start of the pandemic had increased to 100 – up four from Monday.
"Today, we are announcing 46 new cases, for a total of 4,111 cases in British Columbia," the statement said. "There are 472 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,444 people who tested positive have recovered. Currently, eight people are hospitalized with COVID-19, five of whom are in intensive care."
No additional deaths linked to the disease were reported on Tuesday, leaving the province's death toll from the pandemic at 195.
"There are no new community outbreaks. The Krazy Cherry Fruit. Co. outbreak in the Interior Health region has been declared over," Henry and Dix said in their statement "However, there continue to be community exposure events; including ones in Vancouver Coastal Health and Interior Health, and on flights into and out of British Columbia."
As of Tuesday, the only outbreak reported by Northern Health was the community outbreak on Haida Gwaii. Data reported by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control on Tuesday showed there were 10 active cases of COVID-19 in the north, none of whom were hospitalized.
Alerts about community exposure events and outbreaks can be found online at the B.C Centre for Disease Control's website (www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/public-exposures) or on Northern Health's website (www.northernhealth.ca/health-topics/public-exposures-and-outbreaks).
Public health officials are working to trace and contact people who may have been exposed to COVID-19, the statement said.
"Every case is followed up and linked. People who are at risk from exposure to known cases are supported to self-isolate, reducing further community exposure. That is working," the statement said. "The number of people we see self-isolating from the past few days reflects the work that public-health teams are doing tracing people around the province to prevent the spread and stop outbreaks."
British Columbians are asked to do their part by keeping social gatherings small, limiting time with others, maintaining physical distance and staying home if they feel unwell.
"As we look to fall, what we've learned from other jurisdictions is that transmission in a school setting is a reflection of what's happening in our communities; keeping our community transmission low and slow keeps us all safe," the statement said. "What we do each day protects us, our families and friends and our communities. Let's continue to work together to bend the curve not the rules."
