The Skeena
The spread of COVID-19 in B.C. is growing at alarming levels and without changes to people’s behaviour new cases could return to or even surpass the levels we saw at the peak of the crisis in March or April.
On Friday, August 14th, Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer announced “84 new cases, for a total of 4,358 cases in British Columbia.” The province-wide numbers include a total of 107 cases and three new cases in the Northern Health region”.
The B.C. Ministry of Health reports that there continue to be community exposure events around the province. “We’ve had individual parties were dozens of people have gotten sick with COVID-19,” said Minister of Health, Adrian Dix today.
The Ministry of Health also reports multiple exposures on flights into and out of British Columbia. In B.C. since July 1, Vancouver International Airport has seen 28 domestic and 24 international flights with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Montreal and Kelowna are tied as the top domestic points of origin, while Mexico City and Seattle are the top international points of origin. In the past six weeks, there have been seven Aeromexico flights out of Mexico City with COVID on-board.
“Right now, we have it within our capability to make the changes that we need to bend that curve back down,” said Dr. Henry.
Northern B.C. COVID Survivor Speaks Up
The 107 cases reported in Northern B.C. might not sound like a big number, but a northern B.C. woman named Tracy Paquette this week warned that COVID-19 is no joke. After contracting the virus in March, she went into a 17-day coma and is still recovering.
“I was thinking I’m gonna die and not going to see my family. I was so scared. I was in shock,” she told CBC.
Henry said it’s up to all of us, but especially the young people who are helping cause the uptick in infections, to bring the coronavirus back under control.
“What we have been doing has worked, and that’s why we are where we are,” she said. “It’s a very small proportion of the population that are doing things that are causing some of the spread that we’re seeing. The vast majority of us are weathering this together and that’s what we need to continue to do.”
B.C.’s updated COVID-19… by CTV Vancouver on Scribd
