Six new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Northern Health region on Tuesday.
Public health officials issued a public warning to anyone who attended recent events in the Nass Valley region, northwest of Terrace.
"The Northern Health region, the First Nations Health Authority and the Nisga'a Valley Health Authority (NVHA) have issued a joint alert for anyone in the Nass Valley who may have attended recent gatherings between Aug. 21 and 25," a joint statment issued by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said. "Any gathering attendees are asked to contact the NVHA clinic and if symptoms develop, to immediately self-isolate."
The total number of cases in the Northern Health region since the start of the pandemic rose to 160 on Tuesday. According to data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control on Tuesday, there were 38 active cases of COVID-19 in the north.
Of those 38 people, four were hospitalized – including one patient in intensive care.
"Today, we are announcing 58 new cases, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 5,848 cases in British Columbia," Henry and Dix said in there joint statement. "There are 1,124 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 2,761 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 4,505 people who tested positive have recovered."
Throughout the province, there were 31 people hospitalized – including 10 people in intensive care.
"There has been one new COVID-19 related death, for a total of 209 deaths in British Columbia," Henry and Dix said. "We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic."
No deaths linked to COVID-19 have been reported in northern B.C.
The B.C. COVID-19 Research and Collaboration Symposium began on Tuesday. The virtual gathering of provincial scientists, researchers and public health workers is focused on furthering understanding about the impact of the disease and public health measures.
"To be successful, our COVID-19 plan is about all of us to doing our part – our world-leading researchers, our businesses and all of us as individuals. It is about protecting our neighbours and our colleagues, as we protect ourselves," Henry and Dix said. "As we transition to the next phase of our COVID-19 pandemic in B.C. and prepare for the respiratory season ahead, it is time for all of us to regroup and refocus our efforts to keep the number of new cases low and slow. We have the knowledge and we have the tools that we can all use to be safe, no matter where we may be."
