Daily COVID-19 Update: Nine cases in Interior Health region

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer updated the province on the state of the COVID-19 crisis.

Osoyoos Times Staff

There are now nine cases of COVID-19 identified by the provincial government in the Interior Health region, with 231 total cases total in B.C. Wednesday.

Thirteen people are now hospitalized in B.C., and there are no new deaths to report in the province.

An estimated 17,000 have been tested, Minister of Health Adrian Dix said in the daily address to media in Victoria Wednesday.

The provinces self-assessment tool had close to 1 million uses as of Wednesday.

Blood donations are needed, B.C.’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said, and Dix reiterated. Blood donation clinics are taking measures to take donations while keeping social distancing measures in place, Henry said.

B.C.’s legislature will be recalled for a session Monday with limited representatives from the government, the opposition and the Green Party.

On March 18, 2020, Prime Minister Trudeau announced up to $27 billion in funding to help stabilize the economy.  The Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, is intended to give direct support to Canadian workers and businesses.

For over 12 million low- and modest-income families, who may require additional help with their finances, the government is proposing providing a one-time special payment by early May 2020 through the Goods and Services Tax credit (GSTC). This will double the maximum annual GSTC payment amounts for the 2019-20 benefit year. The average boost to income for those benefitting from this measure will be close to $400 for single individuals and close to $600 for couples, injecting $5.5 billion into the economy, the federal government said.