BC announces only eight new coronavirus cases, the lowest in months

On Tuesday afternoon, British Columbia health officials announced eight new test-positive coronavirus cases and another four deaths as a result of the virus.

During a press conference, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the total number of recorded cases in the province now sits at 2,232.

Broken down by health region, Henry said there are 849 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 1,031 in Fraser Health, 124 on Vancouver Island, 177 are in Interior Health, and 51 in Northern Health.

Out of the total number of cases, 78 people are in hospital, with 21 of those in intensive care. A total of 1,472 people are now considered fully recovered, said Henry.

Seventeen outbreaks have officially been declared over.

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On Monday, health officials shared updated epidemiological modelling for the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia.

Henry said control measures that were implemented in mid-March, such as physical distancing, have helped bring down the number of new cases, despite other outbreaks, and clusters.

“Most cases are being linked to community spread,” said Henry. “That’s what we’ll be watching in the coming weeks and months.”

Although new patients continue to be admitted into intensive care units on a daily basis, the overall number of patients in critical care is slowly decreasing over time.

British Columbia’s newest case rate comparison shows that the number of cumulative diagnosed cases are drastically lower than the rest of Canada. Quebec and Ontario have the greatest impact on the case and death rate for the rest of Canada.

“This is the result of the work that we’ve all been doing,” said Henry.