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B.C. sees 16 more COVID-19 deaths, one in Northern Health as region adds 48 new infections

One person is out of hospital's critical care unit in the north
Kyle Balzer
Kyle Balzer
Dr. Bonnie Henry - Dec. 7, 2020
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C. Provincial Health Officer. (via Flickr/Province of B.C.)

A man in his 70s is the ninth life COVID-19 has claimed in northern B.C. since the pandemic began, one of 16 in the past 24 hours.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is reporting 566 new infections since Monday (Dec. 7) across the province for a grand total of 38,178 since January, with the new death toll sitting at 543.

Northern Health saw 48 cases test positive, rising its regional total to 1,132.

This includes 332 active cases and 791 recoveries, but it appears one person is no longer in hospital as both total hospitalizations (41) and critical-care admissions (12) are down by one.

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), 199 tests were taken in Northern Health for COVID-19 since yesterday, meaning 24 per cent of them came back positive.

Since March, only 12.7 per cent of northern B.C. has been tested per the authority's latest population outreach report (2019-20).

B.C.'s number of active cases has been reduced from 9,380 to 9,315, and those in ICU are down by three to 74, but hospitalizations are up by three to 352.

There are 27,897 people that have recovered since being first exposed to COVID-19.

“While we have seen the start of encouraging trends in our COVID-19 curve, the number of new cases and people with serious illness requiring care in hospital remains high," says Dr. Henry in a statement. 

"This is why the public health orders and restrictions remain in place and why we must continue to stay local and keep to our households through the holiday season.

“Let’s make the coming weeks our ‘winter break’ by breaking the chain of transmission in our province. We can still be festive and enjoy the season, but let’s ensure it is only with our immediate household or, if you live on your own, with one or two close contacts."

On Monday, Henry extended all provincial orders through until Jan. 8, 2021, including the mandatory mask order in all indoor public and retail spaces, the ban on household gatherings and general public events.

Henry, however, is allowing drive-thru and drive-in related events for the holiday season as it permits residents to stay inside their vehicles.

In Prince George, six more flights have been flagged by WestJet for virus exposure, all are between YXS and Vancouver, but no specific rows have been stated as of this publication:

  • Nov. 23 = Flight 3297 from Vancouver to Prince George
  • Nov. 24 = Flight 3290 from Prince George to Vancouver
  • Nov. 24 = Flight 3277 from Vancouver to Prince George
  • Nov. 24 = Flight 3282 from Prince George to Vancouver
  • Nov. 26 = Flight 3287 from Vancouver to Prince George
  • Nov. 27 = Flight 3290 from Prince George to Vancouver

After Northern Health detected its first lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 9, there have been 17 Prince George flights marked for the virus.

The others are:

Two Prince George schools were among seven new COVID-19 exposure events in Northern Health.

The authority says people in the Heather Park Elementary community could have been exposed on Nov. 27, while Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary has been listed for Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 to 2. 

Today, Bert Bowes in Fort St. John and Fort St. James Secondary were alerted a third time in two weeks and Margaret Ma Murray Community School was listed a second time, while Uplands Elementary become the third school in Terrace to be notified for potential virus exposure.

The full list of schools with an exposure event is as follows:

  • Heather Park Elementary (SD57) - Dec. 1-2, 2020
  • Shas Ti-Kelly Road Secondary (SD57) - Nov. 30, Dec. 1-2, 2020
  • Uplands Elementary (SD82) - Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2020
  • Fort St. James Secondary (SD91) - Nov. 19-20, 20-26, 30-Dec. 1, 2020
  • David Hoy Elementary (SD91) - Nov. 30-Dec. 1; Nov. 25-26, 2020; Sept. 17-18, 2020
  • Bert Bowes Middle (SD60) - Nov. 16, 18-20, 30, 2020
  • William Konkin Elementary in Burns Lake (SD91) - Nov. 16, 23-24, 23-27, 2020
  • Margaret Ma Murray Community School (SD60) - Nov. 23-26, 27, 2020
  • Energetic Learning Campus in Fort St. John (SD60) - Nov. 16-20, 23-27, 30, 2020
  • Peden Hill Elementary (SD57) - Nov. 12-17, 17-20, 24-27, 2020
  • Centennial Christian in Terrace (Independent) - Nov. 23-26, 2020
  • North Peace Secondary (SD60) - Nov. 10, 12-13, 16, 19-20, 24-26, 2020
  • Sacred Heart Elementary (Diocese of Prince George) - Nov. 25-27, 2020
  • Nak’albun Elementary (Independent) - Nov. 22-25, 2020; Sept. 16-18, 2020
  • Charlie Lake Elementary (SD60) - Nov. 23-24, 16-26, 2020
  • Ecole College Heights Elementary (SD57) - Nov. 19-20, 20-24, 2020
  • Beaverly Elementary (SD57) - Nov. 23-24, 2020
  • Foothills Elementary (SD57) - Nov. 23, 2020
  • Prince George Secondary (SD57) - Nov. 20, 2020; Oct. 2, 2020
  • Dawson Creek Secondary - South Peace Campus (SD59) - Nov. 16-18, 2020; Sept. 23-25, 2020
  • Chetwynd Secondary (SD59) - Nov. 13, 2020
  • Van Bien Elementary (SD57) - Nov. 9-10, 2020
  • Ron Brent Elementary (SD57) - Oct. 30, 2020
  • Hudson's Hope Elementary-Junior Secondary (SD60) - Oct. 26-Nov. 4, 2020
  • Immaculate Conception School (Diocese of Prince George) - Oct. 21-23, 2020
  • Roosevelt Park Elementary (SD52) - Oct. 21-22, 2020
  • Fort Nelson Secondary (SD81) - Oct. 15-16, 2020
  • Notre Dame in Dawson Creek (Private) - Oct. 13-14, 2020
  • Quesnel Junior Secondary (SD28) - Sept. 10-11, 15-18, 2020
  • Ecole Frank Ross Elementary (SD59) - Sept. 10-11, 2020