Article content continued

This is the first outbreak in the Downtown Eastside.

Photo by JESSE WINTER / REUTERS

Henry said the health authority was working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and that there would be more plant inspections.

She said the outbreak did not compare directly to the High River, Alta., slaughterhouse outbreak with 401 cases and one death, because there was not shared accomodation for workers at the Vancouver plant.

There has been no recall of chicken products distributed from the Downtown Eastside plant, because according to Henry and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, there is no evidence to suggest that food is a likely source or route of transmission for the virus.

Bill Vanderspek, executive director of the B.C. Chicken Marketing Board, said the United plant processed about four per cent of chickens in the province. Vanderspek said two million birds are processed weekly in B.C., so the small drop in supply would be readily replaced.

“The company that owns United has a number of other processing plants and they’re going to divert the product there,” he said.” The product will be picked up and shifted to other plants in the Vancouver area. So, that will not cause a problem for shortages in the stores.”

Henry reported one more COVID-19 death between noon on Monday and noon on Tuesday, bringing that total to 87. The deceased was a senior from a long-term care home.

She said there had been 25 new cases reported in B.C., bringing the total to 1,724. There are 596 active COVID-19 cases in B.C., with 109 of those in hospital.