The steady rise in the number of new COVID-19 infections confirmed in B.C. on a daily basis has started to push up the number of people hospitalized with the virus that has spawned a global pandemic. There are now 33 people in B.C. hospitals battling the disease – up two from yesterday's tally, and the most since May 30, when there were 35 people in hospital.
Of those in hospital, 14 are in intensive care units (ICU) – the most since May 12, when there were 16 people in ICU. The vast majority of the 1,127 people in B.C. actively fighting COVID-19 are at home in self-isolation. A further 2,786 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of exposure to known infections.
No new deaths have been recorded, meaning that the province's death toll remains at 209, and 4,605 people out of the 5,952 individuals who have been infected have recovered. Recovery data on 11 people is not available.
B.C.'s provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced September 2 that there were 104 new cases of infection, including six cases that are presumed to be positive but have not officially been tested.
New cases have been detected in each of B.C.'s health regions.
The breakdown of all COVID-19 infections in the province by health region is:
• 1,974 in Vancouver Coastal Health (up 52);
• 3,112 in Fraser Health (up 40);
• 178 in Island Health (up three);
• 445 in Interior Health (up five);
• 164 in Northern Health (up four); and
• 79 people who reside outside Canada (no change).
There has been one new outbreak at a healthcare facility, at Surrey Memorial Hospital, while the outbreak at Langley Memorial Hospital has been declared over. The outbreak at New Westminster's Queen's Park Care Centre remains active.
There are also eight active outbreaks at seniors' homes:
•Czorny Alzheimer Centre in Surrey;
•Normanna Living 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.
Dix and Henry implored British Columbians to take time to think about their personal circumstances and those of their families.
"Who may be vulnerable to severe illness? And what are you doing to protect them?" they asked.
"With each of us doing our part, we can protect our communities, our elders and our loved ones. Let's choose to keep our groups small. Let's choose to be the person that stays home when we are ill and let's choose to be safe each and every day while COVID-19 remains in our communities."
