Workers at a second poultry processing facility in B.C. have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Thursday.
Two workers at Superior Poultry Processors Ltd. in Coquitlam have the virus, she said. The plant is the sister facility to Vancouver’s United Poultry Co. Ltd., where 29 staff members have been diagnosed with COVID-19, Henry said.
She said investigations are underway at both facilities, but it appears there was movement of workers and management staff between the two facilities.
“It does look like there’s likely to be others who are in the new facility as well who are also ill,” Henry said at a news conference.
Officials from Superior Poultry and United Poultry were not available for comment Thursday.
Henry said she will be talking with leaders in B.C.’s meat-processing sector about required measures to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases in workplaces.
Premier John Horgan said Wednesday he was concerned some people might be reporting to work sick because they feared losing wages. He said he was planning meetings to discuss sick-pay issues.
Henry announced four more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday for a total of 94 deaths in the province. There have been three deaths in the Island Health region.
She said there were 29 new cases, bringing B.C.’s infections to 1,824. Henry said 1,029 people have recovered from the virus.
The number of new cases announced Thursday is more in keeping with daily totals for the last week. On Wednesday, there was a spike of 71 cases — a high not seen since March 28 — attributed in part to new community outbreaks. There was one new confirmed case of COVID-19 reported in the Island Health region, for a total of 111.
Of COVID-19 patients in B.C., 103 are in hospital, including 44 in critical care — down from a peak of 149 in hospital. In Island Health, there are five people in hospital, including one in critical care.
Any modification of restrictions in the coming weeks and months will have to be done carefully, Henry said. “A misstep in the wrong direction puts us all at risk, because we have seen how quickly this virus can take hold and can be transmitted and cause serious illness, and hospitalizations and unfortunately deaths,” she said, noting some restrictions could be in place as long as a year.
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the goal is to “renew B.C. without rebooting the virus.”
“Easing up on our efforts too soon makes it too easy for COVID-19, too easy for it to spread, too easy for it to claim more of our seniors and elders, and too easy for it to undo all of the sacrifice we’ve made together,” said Dix.
After warnings that people should continue going to hospital emergency departments for urgent problems — including chest pain, shortness of breath and broken limbs — patients are starting to return, Dix said.
While there were about 6,500 ER visits every day in the province at the beginning of March, that dropped to below 3,000 in early April.
Some elective surgeries have been rescheduled for mid-May, after 14,000 non-urgent elective scheduled surgeries were cancelled in the province. Dix said the Health Ministry has also not forgotten the number of important diagnostic tests that were also postponed.
“We will require as part of our plan to ensure issues around screening, particularly cancer screening and diagnostic testing, are resumed as well in a way that can protect, especially the most affected patients.”
Also on Thursday, the province said applications for the B.C. government’s $1,000 emergency benefit for workers will open on May 1. The one-time, tax-free benefit is for those whose ability to work has been affected because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government said in a news release that those who are eligible for the federal government’s emergency response benefits are also able to apply for the B.C. payment.
Those asking for the payment must also have been a resident of B.C. on March 15, 2020, be at least 15 years old, have filed or agree to file a 2019 income tax return and cannot be on income or disability assistance.
There have been 755 cases of COVID-19 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 760 in Fraser Health, 156 in Interior Health and 42 in Northern Health.
Henry said there was one new outbreak at a long-term care facility in the Interior Health region, and two new outbreaks in acute-care facilities.
Outbreaks have been declared over at 10 facilities, after they saw no new cases over two incubation periods, Henry said. In all, there have been 347 confirmed cases associated with care facilities, including 217 residents or patients and 130 staff, she said.
Not everyone who might have COVID-19 is tested, and actual cases are likely higher than the confirmed cases.
