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COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia

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2020 coronavirus pandemic in British Columbia
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationBritish Columbia, Canada
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Index caseVancouver
Arrival dateJanuary 28, 2020
(4 years, 11 months and 2 weeks)
Confirmed cases424[1][2]
Recovered6[1][2]
Deaths
10[1][2]
Government website
BC health

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in British Columbia is an ongoing 2019–20 worldwide viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On January 28, British Columbia became the second province to confirm a case of COVID-19.[3] The Canadian province of British Columbia currently has the greatest number of cases of COVID-19 in Canada, having surpassed Ontario's case count on March 20th. As of March 21st, there have been 424 confirmed cases, six recoveries, and ten deaths.[1][2][4] As of March 20th, 17,912 people have been tested for the virus in British Columbia.[2]

Numerous emergency measures have been taken in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus, including an emphasis on social distancing and self-isolation. Premier John Horgan has announced that the province is working on an emergency relief plan, but no details have been released as of March 20th.[5]

Management

British Columbia has started providing an online self assessment tool for those who are concerned they may be infected.[6]

Emergency measures

A public health emergency was declared in the province on March 17.[4] On March 18, BC Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth declared a province-wide state of emergency.[7] Several municipalities in the Metro Vancouver Regional District have declared local states of emergency, including Vancouver, New Westminster, Delta, Surrey, and Richmond.[8]

Gatherings of over 50 people have been banned, and bars and nightclubs have been ordered to close. Restaurants and cafes are not mandated to close as long as staff can maintain physical distance from customers.[9] Numerous businesses have reduced operating hours or moved operations to phone and internet.[10][8] On March 19, the BC Housing Management Commission placed a moratorium on evictions from government subsidized housing.[8]

Timeline

The first case in British Columbia was reported on January 28. The person had returned from Wuhan and began experiencing symptoms on January 26, with self-isolation beginning immediately.[11]

The first case in BC's interior was reported on February 14. The person had recently returned from China, and was self-isolating.[12]

The first case in the Fraser Health region was reported on February 20. This was also the first BC case where the person had traveled to/from Iran. The person immediately began self-isolation.[13]

The first two cases in the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver were reported on March 7. One resident and one staff member were diagnosed.[14] The staff member is now thought to be Canada's first case of community transmission.[15] This care centre became Canada's worst outbreak, with 16 cases to date, and may be linked to subsequent cases in another seniors' home and a hospital in North Vancouver.[16]

BC's first two cases linked to the Grand Princess were also reported on March 7. They were hospitalized.[14]

On March 9, the Lynn Valley outbreak resulted in Canada's first death. The person was a man in his 80s with pre-existing health conditions.[15] On March 17, three more deaths were announced: 2 were at the Lynn Valley Care Center, the other "in [a] hospital in the Fraser Health region".[17] Another death was reported at the Lynn Valley Care Centre on March 19.[18] An additional death there was reported on March 21.[19]

On March 18, 45 cases were confirmed, increasing the total to 231.[20] On March 19, 40 new cases were confirmed.[18] On March 20, 77 cases were confirmed[21] and 76 cases were confirmed on March 21, increasing the total number of cases to 424.[22]

On March 23, health officals in BC reported that 100 people had recovered from the virus. The amount of confirmed cases in the province rose to 472.[23]

By health region

All health regions in BC are affected. As of March 20th, case totals per region are as follows: Vancouver Coastal Health (230), Fraser Health (126), Island Health (37), Interior Health (27), and Northern Health (4).[2] 17,912 tests have been done in British Columbia as of March 21st.[2]

Graphical data

Note: Chart is based on numbers released by health officials and may not reflect unreported cases or recoveries. Recoveries are logged on the first date after they were announced by health officials. Sources: [2][24]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Crawford, Tiffany (March 21, 2020). "COVID-19 update for March 21: Here's the latest on coronavirus in B.C." Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Latest case counts on novel coronavirus". BC Centre for Disease Control. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE". gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Coronavirus: B.C. declares public health emergency amid 3 new deaths and 83 new cases". Global News. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "Premier's statement on COVID-19 federal response". BC Gov News. Office of the Premier. March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool". covid19.thrive.health. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  7. ^ Zussman, Richard (March 18, 2020). "B.C. declares state of emergency in response to coronavirus pandemic". Global News. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Ip, Stephanie (March 19, 2020). "COVID-19 update for March 19: Here's the latest on coronavirus in B.C." Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 20, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Coronavirus: B.C. confirms 45 new cases, 13 now in hospital". Global News. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  10. ^ Ip, Stephanie (March 18, 2020). "COVID-19 update for March 18: Here's the latest on coronavirus in B.C." Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 20, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "Joint statement on the first case of 2019 novel coronavirus in B.C." BC Gov News. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  12. ^ "Joint statement on British Columbia's fifth case of novel coronavirus | BC Gov News". News.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  13. ^ "Joint statement on B.C.'s sixth case of novel coronavirus | BC Gov News". News.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Update on new and existing COVID-19 cases in British Columbia | BC Gov News". News.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Tracking every case of COVID-19 in Canada". CTV News. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ Holliday, Ian (March 14, 2020). "B.C. health officials announce 9 new COVID-19 cases, clarify testing procedures". British Columbia. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "B.C. declares public health emergency with 186 cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths". CBC News. March 17, 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Little, Simon (March 19, 2020). "Coronavirus: B.C. announces 40 new cases and 1 new death". Global News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  19. ^ Boynton, Sean (March 21, 2020). "B.C. reports 1 new death from coronavirus, 76 new cases in province". Global News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  20. ^ Little, Simon (March 18, 2020). "Coronavirus: B.C. confirms 45 new cases, 13 now in hospital". Global News. Corus Entertainment. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  21. ^ Ghoussoub, Michelle (March 20, 2020). "B.C. announces 77 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 348, as restaurants close province-wide". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  22. ^ Ghoussoub, Michelle (March 21, 2020). "Efforts to stop coronavirus 'greatest fight of our time,' says health minister as B.C. cases rise to 424". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  23. ^ "COVID-19: B.C. health officials report 48 new cases, three more deaths, 100 recoveries". The Province. March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  24. ^ Ip, Stephanie (March 20, 2020). "COVID-19: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 21, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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