Dale Boyd
Aberdeen Publishing
The provincial health authority confirmed the first death related to COVID-19 in the Interior Health region Wednesday.
The man is in his 60s, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during the daily update from Victoria.
She said the man “had been in recovery at home,” but did not clarify which community the man was from.
It was the third COVID-19 related death in the past 24 hours in B.C., bringing the total to 75 in the province.
An additional 44 cases of COVID-19 were added to the total of 1,561 province-wide — with 955 people fully recovered.
There were no additional cases announced at the South Okanagan Correctional Centre, where one inmate tested positive in early April.
Three new test-positive cases were confirmed related to the outbreak among temporary foreign workers at Bylands Nursery in West Kelowna, bringing the total cases related to the outbreak to 26.
It is safe to call 911 and go to the hospital for non-COVID-19 reasons, Henry said, including diagnostic tests.
“It is safe to go to the hospital and I want to reassure people that if you have diagnostic tests that have been booked, that you’ve been waiting for it is safe to go for those,” Henry said. “It is safe to call 911 if you need that urgent medical care. Do not hesitate to call for help if you need it.”
