COVID-19 continues to proliferate throughout B.C. at record levels, with 941 cases identified in the past day – that's 31.2% higher than the previous record of 717 cases in a day set November 17. In total 28,348 British Columbians have been infected with the virus since the first case appeared in the province in late January.
There are 7,732 people who are actively battling infections, with 284 of them being in hospitals, including 61 in intensive care units. The remaining people have been told to self-isolate.
The vast majority of those infected, or 19,605 have recovered.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said yesterday (November 23) that the province's measures in long-term care homes have been successful enough to help B.C. to have the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate among all states and provinces that have at least five million residents.
Deaths related to the virus, however, continue to rack up. There were 10 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, and 95 COVID-19-related deaths so far this month. The last time the province announced that there were zero deaths was on November 5 – 19 days ago.
In contrast, B.C. reported a total of 13 deaths during the month of August – a month that included an 11-day stretch where there were no COVID-19-related fatalities.
The death toll from the virus in the province has climbed to 358 individuals.
The data shows that there are 653 people unaccounted for, with health officials telling BIV that the most likely cause is that the people left the province without alerting health officials on their status.
Health officials are monitoring 10,283 people for symptoms as they have had known contact with people identified as infected.
The province released a breakdown of new infections by health region that showed that the hot spot remains the Fraser Health region.
Here is where new cases have been identified:
• 174 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 678 in Fraser Health;
• 11 in Island Health;
• 49 in Interior Health; and
• 29 in Northern Health.
There continue to be outbreaks at dozens of seniors' care homes, and provincial health officer Bonnie Henry was asked November 23 about whether the province could be doing more to mute these outbreaks.
"I can't say that there is more that is more urgent to us than doing everything we can in our long term care homes," she responded.
"I'm not sure that I know of anything more that we can do. And it is absolutely staff and people who work in care homes that are the index case in many cases, but partly that is a bit of an anomaly because we have reduced so many visitors into long term care, and when we look at the balance of the density of how many people go in and out of a care home, that's where risk comes in."
New outbreaks have been identified at Valley Haven Care Home in Chilliwack and Little Mountain Place in Vancouver, while the outbreak at Fraserview Intermediate Care Lodge in Richmond has been declared over.
There have been no new community outbreaks.
Below is the full listing of outbreaks at B.C. healthcare facilities.
The six acute-care facilities with outbreaks are at:
• Burnaby Hospital in Burnaby;
• Langley Memorial Hospital in Langley;
• Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver;
• Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge;
• Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey; and
• Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.
The 12 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;
• Holy Family Hospital in Vancouver;
• Little Mountain Place in Vancouver;
• Louis Brier Home & Hospital in Vancouver;
• Renfrew Care Centre 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;
• Carelife Fleetwood in Surrey;
• Chartwell Langley Gardens in Langley;
• Cottage-Worthington Pavilion in Abbotsford;
• 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;
• 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 Seniors Village in Surrey;
• PICS Assisted Living in Surrey;
• Queen's Park Care Centre in New Westminster;
• Sunset Manor in Chilliwack;
• Tabor Home in Abbotsford;
• The Residence at Clayton Heights in Surrey;
• The Residence in Mission;
• Valley Haven Care Home in Chilliwack; and
• White Rock Senior Village in White Rock.
There are two outbreaks at seniors' homes in Northern Health: North Peace Seniors Housing Society buildings 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.
