B.C. reports 11 more COVID-19 cases, 21 recoveries

Photo Credit: Aditya Chinchure

VANCOUVER -- British Columbia has gone another day without any fatalities from COVID-19, but health officials have identified 11 more infections.

Tuesday's update from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix includes 10 new cases and one epi-linked case, which together bring the total number of COVID-19 infections identified since the start of the pandemic to 2,756.

But the new cases were once again outpaced by the number of people who have recovered from the virus. Officials said another 21 people have been cleared of COVID-19 since their last update on Monday, bringing the province's total to 2,416.

That leaves 172 active cases, which is roughly the number of infections B.C. was dealing with in mid-March.

Henry said there are currently 11 people hospitalized with the virus, including five who are in critical care or intensive care units.

Tuesday marks four days since the last announced COVID-19 fatality in the province. Prior to Friday, B.C. also enjoyed a six-day stretch without a single death.

Officials are dealing with a new care home outbreak, however. A resident of Maple Hill Centre, which is one of four residences located at the same site at Langley Memorial Hospital, has tested positive for the virus.

Fraser Health said it has dispatched a "SWAT team" to the care home, and that a number of outbreak protocols are in place to prevent further spread.

The new outbreak brings the number of active health facility outbreaks in B.C. to five. A total of 579 infections have been associated with such outbreaks since the start of the pandemic, including 357 residents and 222 staff.

Watch an American Sign Language translation of the news conference on the provincial government's YouTube page.

Sourced From: Andrew Weichel - CTV News