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B.C. reports record number of active COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations

A record 594 new COVID-19 infections have been recorded in the past 24 hours
Dr. Bonnie Henry
B.C. provincial health officer Bonnie Henry has been providing updates on the extent of COVID-19 in B.C.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to deepen its grip on British Columbians, according to new data that shows record totals in various metrics.

There were a record 594 people identified with COVID-19 in the past day, while 536 people were detected as having the virus between November 10 and November 11.

Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry expressed concern about the rapid rise in cases. 

"Our cases per day have doubled in the past few weeks, every 13 days," she said.

A record 5,793 people are battling active infections. The number of people battling active infections has been skyrocketing, as it is up more than 70% from the 3,389 people fighting COVID-19 one week ago.

Four more people have died from COVID-19-related illness, pushing the province's death toll from the virus that has caused a global pandemic to 288.

A record 155 people are in hospital – six more than the previous high of 149 people in hospital on April 4. Of those hospitalized, 44 are in intensive care units. Health Minister Adrian Dix reiterated that the province's healthcare system has much more capacity to handle a further rise in hospitalizations. He added that reactivating the Vancouver Convention Centre as a site with extra temporary hospital beds is not in his immediate plans.

Healthcare professionals conducted 12,442 tests in the past 24 hours, meaning that the positive-test rate was nearly 4.8% – higher than Henry has said she would like, but far below where it has been in recent days.

Another record total is the 11,091 people being monitored by health officials because they have had known contact with confirmed cases.

"We are in a challenging time, perhaps the most challenging time of this pandemic," Henry said.

"This is not an easy time for any of us, but we will get through this."

The Fraser Health region continues to be the source for the most new infections. 

Henry revealed on November 12 data for the past two days, given that yesterday was Remembrance Day, and there was no data release.

During that two-day span, there were 1,130 new infections, including:
• 249 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 808 in Fraser Health;
• 16 in Island Health;
• 34 in Interior Health;
• 23 in Northern Health.

Of the 20,368 people who have contracted COVID-19 since the first case in B.C. was discovered in late January, 14,089 have recovered. 

Henry said that there are now 41 active outbreaks in the healthcare system including six that are in acute-care sites, or hospitals. The remaining 35 outbreaks are at long-term care, or assisted-living facilities, for seniors.

Six new outbreaks at healthcare facilities include:
•Chartwell Langley Gardens in Langley;
•Peace Portal Seniors Village in Surrey;
•The Harrison at Elim Village in Surrey;
•Finnish Manor in Burnaby;
•Dania Home in Burnaby; and
•Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Outbreaks at CareLife Fleetwood in Surrey, Hamilton Village in Richmond and Mayfair Terrace Retirement Residence in Port Coquitlam are declared over.

Active outbreaks in long-term care, or assisted-living facilities, in the Vancouver Coastal Health region include:
• Haro Park Centre long-term care facility in Vancouver;
• Lakeview Care Centre in Vancouver;
• Louis Brier Home & Hospital in Vancouver;
• Royal Arch Masonic Home long-term care facility in Vancouver;
• Three Links Care Centre long-term care facility in Vancouver;
• Banfield Pavilion, the 4th Floor West long-term care facility, in Vancouver;
• Pinegrove Place in Richmond; and
• Yaletown House long-term care facility in Vancouver;

Outbreaks at those homes in the ​Fraser Health region include:
• Agassiz Seniors Community in Agassiz;
• Amenida Seniors Community in Surrey;
• Belvedere Care Centre in Coquitlam;
• Chartwell Langley Gardens in Langley;
• Dania Home in Burnaby;
• Evergreen Baptist Care Society long-term care facility in White Rock;
• Fellburn Care Centre long-term care facility in Burnaby;
• Finnish Manor in Burnaby;
• Fort Langley Seniors Community in Fort Langley;
• Good Samaritan Delta View Care Center 2 long-term care facility in Delta;
• Harrison Pointe retirement home in Langley;
• The Harrison at Elim Village in Surrey;
• Hawthorne Seniors Care Community long-term care in Port Coquitlam;
• Hawthorne Seniors Care Community assisted living in Port Coquitlam;
• Hollyrood Manor long-term care home in Maple Ridge;
• Laurel Place long-term care facility in Surrey;
• Normanna in Burnaby;
• Northcrest Care Centre in Delta;
• Peace Portal Seniuors Village in Surrey;
• Rosemary Heights Seniors Village independent-, assisted- and long-term care facility in Surrey;
• St. Michael's Centre long-term care facility in Burnaby;
• Suncreek Village in Surrey;
• Tabor Home in Abbotsford;
• The Residence in Mission; and
• White Rock Senior Village in White Rock.

Other seniors' homes with outbreaks are the Rotary Manor Dawson Creek facility in Dawson Creek, in Northern Health; and Village at Mill Creek in Kelowna, in the Interior Health region. 

gkorstrom@biv.com

@GlenKorstrom