In her daily briefing Tuesday, Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s chief medical officer, identified a new outbreak of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health Region.
At the United Poultry Company in Vancouver, 28 employees have tested positive for the virus after the health authority investigated one of the community cases identified and it became clear that other employees in the workplace were infected.
Vancouver Coastal Health was notified on Sunday of a positive case. As part of the case investigation, it became apparent that the individual felt there were others at the workplace who were ill as well. As a result, the health authority went into the United Poultry Company plant to do an inspection and tested anyone with symptoms at the plant that day. The plant has since been closed as a result.
Not all of those cases were included in today's updated numbers; they will be reported over the next few days.
Henry said COVID-19 can not be transmitted by meat or meat packaging but that people should follow the regular precautions when handling poultry.
In response to a question about an additional COVID-19 case in a poultry processing plant in the Tri-Cities Henry said she wasn't aware of cases in other plants.
There was one additional death: a senior in a long-term care facility in Vancouver.
"Our thoughts go out to the family and the caregivers of this person," said Henry.
Henry said the goal was to prevent transmission while limiting the impact of the necessary public health measures. Henry said that she was looking to industry, including the film and television industry, to help formulate the best way to return to work while ensuring a safe environment and not spreading the virus. Businesses and industry groups aren't the only ones that the province is reaching out to for input on how to return to normal while still practicing COVID-19 safety measures. Recreational sports leagues will also be consulted, according to Henry, who highlighted the importance of exercise during the summer months.
"Getting back to work is something we're all looking forward to," said Henry. "We are looking ahead to getting back to school and seeing our friends and family again. But now is the time to start thinking about how to do this safely with our precaution in place."
According to Minister of Health Adrian Dix, British Columbia has 109 people in acute care hospitals, with 4,268 available beds. British Columbia has an occupancy rate of 61.7%, and the occupancy rate in critical care is 45.8%. Dix also highlighted that emergency room visits have been at typical levels and stressed that the healthcare system is available and there for people suffering from non-COVID-19 related matters. Dix wouldn't give a timeline for the resumption of non-urgent surgeries but said that his team is working on a process to ensure a safe transition back to regular healthcare functions.
To expand the availability of respirators during the pandemic, Health Canada has approved equivalent alternatives that have been deemed acceptable in other countries including Australia, Korea and Japan.
British Columbia has received 3.7 million N-95 or equivalent masks, principally from China, and all will be tested before being put into the system. B.C. also has one million surgical masks, 300,000 face shields and one million sets of gloves. From the federal government, the province has 98,700 N-95 masks, 918,000 surgical masks and 224,000 gloves tested and in the system. Dix said that the province has also seen a number of donations of personal protective equipment.
Henry said she wasn't sure if British Columbia would be taking part in contract tracing apps that help track COVID-19 highlighting privacy concerns.
Here are today’s COVID-19 numbers for Tuesday, April 21, compared with numbers from Monday, April 20, in brackets:
New cases: 25 (52)
Total: 1,724 (1,669)
Recovered: 1,041 (1,039)
Hospitalized: 109 (115)
Intensive care: 51 (49)
Additional deaths: 1 (5)
Deaths: 86 (86)
Long-term care, assisted living: 20 (20)
Confirmed cases by region:
Vancouver Coastal Health: 707
Fraser Health: 715
Island Health: 109
Interior Health: 153
Northern Health: 40
