VP Pandemic Planning & Chief MHO Joint Update: October 26, 2020

SENT TO ALL STAFF, MEDICAL STAFF, STUDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS ON BEHALF OF VICTORIA SCHMID, VP PANDEMIC PLANNING, AND DR. RICHARD STANWICK, VP POPULATION HEALTH & CHIEF MEDICAL HEALTH OFFICER 

Over the weekend, B.C. saw the largest increase of cases since the start of the pandemic. As many new cases are a direct result of social gatherings in private homes, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced a new provincial order that limits gatherings in private homes to no more than immediate household members, plus a maximum of six others. These six people are your ‘safe six’ – friends or extended family that exist safely in your social bubble. The vast majority of homes cannot safely accommodate larger gatherings of people. When a home is smaller, and the dining/social areas are tight, an additional six people may be too much and you may need to reconsider your plans of attending or hosting a small gathering.

Even though we are not seeing large viral transmission in Island Health communities, and we did not have any new cases reported over the weekend, we still need to take necessary safety precautions to ensure we’re not passing on the virus to the people we care about. Each time people disregard important COVID safety rules, we see viral transmission and we all need to remember that the mainland is only a short ferry ride away.

We are still in a pandemic, so we need to keep focused on our priorities now and into the New Year. Read more about safer celebrations here.

QUESTION OF THE DAY (FAQs from the Oct. 20th Town Hall are available here)

Why are schools letting some children return to the classroom while awaiting test results?

Students with mild symptoms without fever can monitor at home for 24 hours and return to school without further assessment if their symptoms improve. If their symptoms include fever or worsen after 24 hours, a health assessment should be conducted to determine if testing is appropriate. 

Students who receive a COVID-19 test, based on recommendations from the health assessment, should isolate at home and await the results of the test. If the test result is negative, the student may return to school once symptoms have improved and they feel well enough. If the health assessment does not recommend testing, the student may return to school when symptoms have improved and they feel well enough. 

For more information, please refer to BCCDC’s Schools web page.

ETHICS WEEK SPEAKERS SERIES

Next week is Ethics Week! Join Island Health's Ethics Team for a series of engaging conversations and wrestle with some of the pandemic's most wicked challenges together. Read more here.

PROVINCIAL UPDATE

Provincial Update (this past weekend - today):

  • 817 people have newly-confirmed COVID-19 for a total of 13,371 people
  • 3 new deaths – 259 COVID-19 related deaths in B.C.
  • 2,325 people with active COVID-19 in B.C. – 77 in hospital – 26 in critical care/ICU

Island Health Update (this past weekend - today):

  • 0 people have newly-confirmed COVID-19 for a total of 250 people
  • 0 deaths – 6 COVID-19 related deaths in Island Health
  • 9 people with active COVID-19 in Island Health – 0 in hospital – 0 in critical care/ICU
  • See breakdown by region (South/Central/North) – updated on Monday or as cases are reported

Read updates from Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer:

  • Monday, October 26, 2020: Statement
    (NOTE: today’s transcript will be posted on our COVID intranet page once available)

COVID-19 INTRANET PAGE UPDATES

Since our last update, there have been no new additions or updates to the COVID-19 Intranet page.

COVID-19 Intranet Page Tip:

  • Do you have a document or link that you think would be a good addition to the COVID-19 page? Use the Request link under If you have questions or feedback about this page, or have a document or link you feel should be added to this page to submit it for consideration.
  • Please remember to check the COVID-19 page and the links under If you can’t find the information you need on this page to make sure your item (or one similar to it) isn’t already available.

External

Stay informed: