Covid update: Okanagan leading province in new cases

Jul 24, 2020 | 4:50 PM

The Okanagan has become the provincial hotspot for COVID-19 cases.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control says 107 cases were reported in the region between July 10 and 23 —well ahead of Fraser South at 58 cases and Vancouver at 49.

Eighty-six cases are now linked to the Kelowna cluster (80 confirmed, six epi-linked). Seventy-four of those are Interior Health residents, while the other 12 are from Vancouver Coastal (five) and Fraser Health (seven).

Interior Health has identified an additional epi-linked COVID-19 case in a health care worker at Kelowna General Hospital. This brings the number of KGH employee cases to eight.

“This is another community-acquired case, linked to the broader cluster in Kelowna. This was not an exposure in hospital and we have no evidence of any patient exposures related to these staff cases. Investigations and follow-up on this and additional cases related to the cluster continue,” an update from Interior Health said.

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“As per IH protocols and Ministry of Health recommendations, staff experiencing symptoms must stay home from work. We are confident that the individuals impacted by this current situation are following this direction. It is important that anyone requiring medical care at the hospital feels confident in coming to KGH,” the release said.

In B.C., there are 27 new cases since Thursday, with four of those in the Interior.

There are 294 active cases in the province and 2,934 people who tested positive have recovered.

Of the total cases, 12 people are hospitalized, three of whom are in intensive care.

There has been one new virus-related death, for a total of 191 deaths in British Columbia.

There is one new community outbreak on Haida Gwaii, with 13 total confirmed cases to date. Of the 13 people who have tested positive, one person has recovered and 12 are active cases. At this time cases are all local residents. While the initial source of transmission is still being investigated, the cases are all epidemiologically linked. Some are related residents who had recently travelled off island, and others are from exposure to known cases.

In a statement, Dr. Bonnie Henry said a new health order will be in place in the coming days to limit the number of people who can stay at and visit short-term rental accommodations and boat rentals. Whether at home or renting, keeping our groups small will keep all of us safe.

Similar to the case in restaurants, the number of people will be determined by the size of the space to ensure safe social interactions for everyone.

“This weekend, be mindful of where you are going and who you are seeing, assess your own risks and take steps to protect yourself and those you care for most. Let’s keep our firewall strong and bend our curve back down,” the statement from Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said.

(With files from The Canadian Press)

Case counts: