Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia:

“Today, we are announcing 29 new cases, for a total of 1,853 cases in British Columbia.

“Every health region in British Columbia has patients with COVID-19: 767 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 772 are in the Fraser Health region, 114 are in the Island Health region, 158 are in the Interior Health region and 42 are in the Northern Health region.

“We are saddened to report four new COVID-19 related deaths in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions, for a total of 98 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones.

“There have been no new outbreaks in long-term care, assisted living or acute care in the last day. In total, 20 facilities and three acute-care units have active outbreaks, with outbreaks declared over at 10 care facilities.

“Public health teams are also providing support to a number of community outbreaks, and we expect to continue to see more cases in the coming days as contact tracing continues.

“As of today, two employees have been confirmed positive at Superior Poultry in Coquitlam, and 35 employees have now been confirmed positive at United Poultry in Vancouver. Additionally, there are 10 confirmed positive cases connected to the Kearl Lake project in Alberta and 78 inmates and staff confirmed positive at the Mission Institution federal correctional centre.

“To date, 1,114 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered and no longer require isolation.

“Of the total COVID-19 cases, 96 individuals are hospitalized, and 41 of those are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

“Maintaining a safe physical distance, washing hands frequently and staying home when ill continue to be the best things we can do to protect our communities and continue to bend the curve.

“While our weekends are a time to unwind and relax, the exception is with these important health measures. As you get outside and safely spend time with loved ones, let’s continue to stay strong and show care and compassion to those around us, by ensuring we do not undo all of our hard work and sacrifice.”

Learn More:

For the provincial health officer’s orders, notices and guidance, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/phoguidance

To learn where, when and how people with symptoms can be tested, visit: http://www.phsa.ca/staff-resources/covid-19-resources-for-staff/staff-covid-19-testing

The COVID-19 self-assessment app, which includes details about where, when and how to be tested, can be downloaded here: https://bc.thrive.health/

For information on how returning travellers can submit self-isolation plans, visit: https://gov.bc.ca/returningtravellers

For mental health and anxiety support, visit: www.bouncebackbc.ca

Or: www.anxietycanada.com

For the latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and testing, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/

Or follow @CDCofBC on Twitter.

For non-health related information, including financial, child care and education supports, travel, transportation and essential service information, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/covid19

Or call 1 888 COVID19 (1 888 268-4319) between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. (Pacific time), seven days a week.

For recommendations on protecting yourself and your community from COVID-19, visit: www.bccdc.ca/

For the latest videos and livestreaming of COVID-19 media availabilities:

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/BCProvincialGovernment/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCGovNews

On YouTube: www.youtube.com/ProvinceofBC

For a Chinese translation: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/2020.04.24_New_ExistingCasesCOVID-19_CN.pdf

A backgrounder follows.