The number of British Columbians actively fighting COVID-19 infections fell slightly on August 26, provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement.
There are now 896 people battling the virus, down 29 from yesterday's 925 count, which was an all-time high since the virus was first recorded in the province on January 28.
The change in the number of active infections comes as 62 new cases of the virus were recorded overnight, while 85 people recovered and no people died, according to provincial statistics. That leaves a difference of 23 people, so the number of active cases should be 902. The B.C. government explained to Glacier Media, however, that the number of active cases is 896 because six individuals who had been listed as fighting COVID-19 "had their public health follow-up interrupted. If at a later date, public health is made aware of new information, their status will be updated."
The death toll from the virus remains at 203.
Overall, 4,199 people have recovered from the virus out of the 5,304 cases that have been identified in the province.
The breakdown of all COVID-19 infections in the province by health region is:
• 1,699 in Vancouver Coastal Health (up 16);
• 2,795 in Fraser Health (up 33);
• 170 in Island Health (up two);
• 429 in Interior Health (up four);
• 133 in Northern Health (up five); and
• 78 people who reside outside Canada (up two).
One person who was in hospital has been released, while 21 people remain in those facilities. Of those, there are seven people who are in intensive care units (ICUs). There has not been a higher number of people in B.C. ICUs since June 2.
The vast majority of people who are fighting COVID-19 infections are self-isolating at home. Henry and Dix said that 2,730 people are under active health monitoring as a result of known exposure to identified cases.
"There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks," Dix and Henry said. "In total, 10 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks."
New Westminster's Queen's Park Care Centre has an ongoing outbreak.
Fraser Health's interim chief medical health officer Elizabeth Brodkin, on August 25, mentioned two situations where there has been COVID-19 at hospitals.
She said a COVID-19 outbreak is active at Langley Memorial Hospital in which a single patient who was released then tested positive for the disease. Brodkin declined to say when the patient was at Langley Memorial Hospital, and released, in order to protect that person's confidentiality. News of the incident arose on August 25.
She added that at Royal Columbian Hospital one staff person tested positive after having conducted surgery in an operating room. Brodkin said that this case was likely contracted in the community so it is not officially considered an outbreak at the hospital.
The 10 active outbreaks at seniors' homes are at:
•Holy Family Hospital in Vancouver;
•Arbutus Care Centre in Vancouver;
•Czorny Alzheimer Centre in Surrey;
•Dania Home in Burnaby;
•Derby Manor in Burnaby;
•George Derby Centre in Burnaby;
•New Vista Care Home in Burnaby;
•Maple Ridge Seniors Village in Maple Ridge;
•MSA Manor long-term care facility in Abbotsford (second outbreak); and
•Bear Creek Villa in Surrey.
