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3 new cases in Interior Health

More people encouraged to get COVID test in B.C.; 52 new cases with five more deaths

Apr 20, 2020 | 3:24 PM

British Columbia is opening up testing for COVID-19, to allow anyone with symptoms to get assessed and tested by their family doctor, a nurse practitioner or a community health centre.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, said they are broadening the testing criteria to avoid another spike in community cases.

“While everyone can get tested, not everyone needs to get tested, and that’s very important. If you do not have symptoms, this test has very limited benefit and is not necessarily valid. It’s for anybody who has symptoms for COVID-19, so a cough, fever, shortness of breath; those are the things were concerned about, or if you’ve had contact with somebody you know has COVID-19 or has been associated with one of the outbreaks.”

Henry re-iterated “we are not yet through this storm. We must remain vigilant and our testing strategy is part of that.”

The health officer once again stated changes to the current restrictions could be considered by “mid May,” if there is a still a downward trend in cases.

British Columbia update on COVID-19 as of 3 p.m. Monday April 20:

New cases: 52 (29 from Saturday to Sunday; 23 from Sunday to Monday)

Total cases : 1,699

Cases by health region:

Vancouver: 700

Fraser: 706

Vancouver Island: 102

Interior: 153 (increase of 3 since Saturday)

Northern: 39

There is one new outbreak at a long term care facility, Chartwell Willow, bringing the total to 20 long term care or assisted living centres with 307 cases associated with those.

The outbreak at the Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver is considered “resolved” with no new cases after one inmate tested positive earlier.

There are no new cases tied to the outbreak of foreign farm workers at a West Kelowna nursery.

The Mission federal prison outbreak now has 75 cases, including 64 inmates.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has ordered anyone who has come back to B.C after working at at the Kearl Lake project in northern Alberta since March 15 to self-isolate for 14 days with 7 cases connected to that project.

Six  cases in Interior Health are related to Kearl Lake. All are self isolating at home and contact tracing is ongoing.
Anyone who has, or had, COVID symptoms since their return from Kearl Lake, are asked to connect with 8-1-1 and tell the staff about that.

104 people with COVID are in hospital with 49 in critical care or ICU.

There has been five new COVID deaths since Saturday, bringing the total to 86.

1,039 people have fully recovered.

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