Screenshot from provincial update March 24 in Victoria.
Sophie Gray
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
We’re going to face a rough few weeks ahead before we see a decline in the COVID-19 outbreak in B.C., said Provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix in a joint statement with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on Tuesday afternoon in Victoria.
“There’s not a quick fix, although the measures we’re taking now, the measures we are all taking now, will play a significant role in the outcome,” said Dix. “There is no chance we’ll beat this if we leave the work to others, that each of us doesn’t play our role. We need everyone to.”
The provincial government announced 145 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. over March 23 and 24, bringing the total number in the province to 617. There are now 41 cases in the Interior Health region.
Only one order was made today which limits the movement of health care workers between facilities to limit the spread of the virus. Dr. Henry stated that a number of new care homes have reported cases which are possibly linked to staff working in multiple facilities.
“We are doing a concerted effort across the province to now sort that out so that we can assign people to a specific long term care home, particularly through this pandemic, and that is something that is being undertaken as an urgent issue,” said Henry.
On a more positive note, Dr. Henry announced that 173 people, or 28 per cent of those infected in the province, have fully recovered. These cases, she said, are good to see because they show that most people, especially young and healthy people, are able to recover fully at home.
“The other positive thing around that is that we’re learning from around the world that once you’ve recovered from this, you have immunity for a period of time, at least for the next weeks or months which is really helpful I think in encouraging people, supporting people if you’re a health care worker, to safely work with cases of COVID-19.”
Dr. Henry also spoke to the spread of the virus, emphasizing that although most cases are in the Lower Mainland, no community in the province is immune which is why continued social distancing measures are so important.
