A record 28 deaths from COVID-19 were announced in B.C. Thursday, as the total number of cases in the province cracked 40,000.
“Today is one of the most tragic days we have had yet,” said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, noting all but two of the deaths are seniors in long-term care homes.
One of the deaths was on Vancouver Island, the second linked to an outbreak at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, where eight staff and nine patients have now been infected. There were 12 deaths in Fraser Health and 15 in Vancouver Coastal.
Health Minister Adrian Dix called it a “profoundly difficult day for every single one of those families, for the community and for all of us.”
The deaths, he said, should “galvanize us to do more for one another, to when in doubt rule it out, to do everything we can to limit transmission of COVID-19 in this period where it transmits so easily.”
The province reported 723 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, including 10 in the Island Health region.
The Saanich Peninsula Hospital outbreak has grown almost daily, with two more staff members testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
Hospital staff are recovering at home, as are some patients. Others have been moved to Royal Jubilee Hospital.
The outbreak remains in the acute-care areas of the hospital and has not spread to the adjacent long-term care facility, said Island Health.
The hospital remains closed to acute admissions. The emergency department is open, but people requiring admission will be taken to Victoria General Hospital. Ambulances with patients who do not require urgent care are also being diverted to Victoria General Hospital.
Saanich Peninsula Hospital’s lab service for outpatient collections has temporarily moved to its Keating Cross Road lab at 2140A Keating Cross Road.
Outpatient services, including medical imaging and day surgery, remain open and are safe to access, according to Island Health.
New cases in B.C. reported today include 135 in Vancouver Coastal Health region, 456 in Fraser Health, 82 in Interior Health, and 40 in Northern Health.
The total number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in B.C. to date is 40,060. Of those cases, 9,524 are active. There are 346 people in hospital, including 83 in intensive or critical care.
Another 11,947 people are being monitored for the disease.
