BC announces 29 new cases of coronavirus, 3 new deaths

Health officials announced Saturday that there are 29 new known cases of coronavirus in BC.

BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement in a press conference Saturday afternoon, stating that the total number of known cases is now up to 1,203 in the province.

There have also been 3 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 38.

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“We recognize this number represents people who are dear to their family, to their friends, who will be missed. Our condolences go out to them,” said Henry in the press conference.

Broken down by health region, Henry said there are 554 known cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 424 in Fraser Health, 76 on Vancouver Island, 128 in Interior Health, and 21 in Northern Health.

Of the total cases, 149 are hospitalized with 68 in the ICU or critical care units.

Henry announced there has been one more outbreak in long term care in the Fraser Health region, for a total of 23 outbreaks now in long term care facilities.

A total of 704 people have fully recovered in the province.

“The risk remains very high for us in British Columbia. We are in the thick of it,” said Henry.

“We must hold our line. This is our time to be unwavering in our commitment, to keep our firewall strong, to keep our [physical] distance between us, that doesn’t allow this virus to spread, but also to ensure we are taking those measures to stay socially connected, and to support each other in our communities, so we can get through this together.”