BC reports nine new coronavirus cases, one additional death

British Columbia health officials announced nine new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday afternoon.

A written statement from BC Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said these cases bring the province’s total count to 2,550.

Broken down by health region, Henry said this equates to 899 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 1,267 cases in Fraser Health, 127 cases in Island Health, 194 cases in Interior Health, and 63 cases in Northern Health.

There are 244 active cases of COVID-19 in BC with 37 of those in hospital and seven in intensive care.

Officials also reported one additional death in the Fraser Health region, for a total of 162 deaths in BC.

There are no new healthcare outbreaks, and a total of 14 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and one acute-care unit currently have active outbreaks.

A total of 2,144 cases are now considered fully recovered.

“We are moving forward carefully into Phase 2, assessing our progress week by week, and we are encouraged by what we have seen so far,” wrote Dix and Henry.

“COVID-19 has a two-week incubation period, which means any new cases that are a result of the easing of restrictions will start to appear over the coming week.”

“With this in mind, let’s continue to take advantage of parks and other activities closer to home, and look to increase social interactions only after fully considering the risks to you and your family.