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Active COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations hit record highs in B.C.

Good news is that the number of newly discovered cases fell for the second consecutive day
bonniehenry-november19
Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry

There was some good news and some bad news in the latest data for the spread of COVID-19 in B.C., which the government released November 20.

The good news is that the number of newly discovered cases fell for the second day in a row, to 516, or about one third less than the record 762 new infections that were detected on November 18. With 11,087 tests conducted, the positive-test rate was 4.65%, up from the 3.9% positive-test rate yesterday.

The bad news is that the number of deaths in a 24-hour period, at 10, is once again in the double digits – only the third time that this has happened since COVID-19 first started claiming British Columbians on March 9.

Other bad news is that the number of people actively battling infections has passed the 7,000 threshold for the first time, and is now at 7,122. The number of hospitalizations due to the virus is also at an all-time high of 227 – 10 more people than the record number that was set yesterday. Of those hospitalized, 57 are in intensive care units – down two from yesterday, although that decline may have come in part because the number of deaths today is up significantly from the one death reported yesterday. 

There have now been 25,474 people who have contracted COVID-19 since the first case was detected in the province on January 28. Health officials have deemed that the majority of those – 68.6%, or 17,477 people – have recovered. Given that there are now the 7,122 people actively fighting infections and a total of 331 people who have died, there are 544 people who are unaccounted for, with health officials having told BIV that the most likely reason for this is that they left the province without alerting health officials. 

The Fraser Health region remains the hot spot for new cases in the province. 

The province released a breakdown of new infections by health region, but one case is missing because the data is only available for 515 people. The data the province provided for new cases are:
• 148 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 294 in Fraser Health;
• 17 in Island Health;
• 31 in Interior Health; and
• 25 in Northern Health.

Three new healthcare facilities have outbreaks:
• Agecare Harmony Court Care Centre in Burnaby;
• Discovery Harbour Care in Campbell River; and
• Youville Residence in Vancouver. 

Below is the full listing of outbreaks at healthcare facilities.

The six acute-care facilities with outbreaks are at:
• Burnaby Hospital in Burnaby;
• Langley Memorial Hospital in Langley;
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in Nanaimo;
• Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge;
• Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey; and
• Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.

The 11 active outbreaks at seniors' facilities in the Vancouver Coastal Health region include:
• Arbutus Care Centre in Vancouver;
• Banfield Pavilion, in Vancouver;
• Revera Capilano Care Centre in West Vancouver;
• Columbus Residence in Vancouver;
• Fraserview Intermediate Care Lodge in Richmond;
• Holy Family Hospital 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;
• Windermere Care Centre in Vancouver; and
• Youville Residence in Vancouver.

The 32 outbreaks at seniors' facilities in the ​Fraser Health region include:
• Agassiz Seniors Community in Agassiz;
• Agecare Harmony Court Estates in Burnaby;
• Agecare Court Estates in Burnaby;
• Al Hogg Pavilion in White Rock;
• Amenida Seniors Community in Surrey;
• Belvedere Care Centre in Coquitlam;
• Chartwell Langley Gardens in Langley;
• Cottage-Worthington Pavilion in Abbotsford;
• 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;
• George Derby Centre in Burnaby;
• 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;
• Jackman Manor in Langley Township;
• Kiwanis Care Centre in New Westminster;
• Laurel Place long-term care facility in Surrey;
• Menno Home in Abbotsford;
• Northcrest Care Centre in Delta;
• Peace Portal Seniuors Village in Surrey;
• PICS Assisted Living in Surrey;
• Suncreek Village in Surrey;
• Tabor Home in Abbotsford;
• The Residence at Clayton Heights in Surrey;
• The Residence in Mission; and
• White Rock Senior Village in White Rock.

There are two outbreaks at seniors' homes in Northern Health: Peace Villa in Fort St. John, and Rotary Manor Dawson Creek in Dawson Creek.

Two outbreaks are at seniors' living facilities in the Island Health region: Tsawaayuss-Rainbow Gardens in Port Alberni, and Discovery Care Centre in Campbell River.

The Interior Health region has four seniors' facility outbreaks, at:
• Hamlets at Westsyde in Kamloops;
• Orchard Manor in Kelowna;
• Sun Pointe Village in Kelowna; and
• Village by the Station in Penticton.

gkorstrom@biv.com

@GlenKorstrom