Northern Health has said that an outbreak is declared during a COVID-19 event when there’s a risk of spread to the general public.
This is not the current case for Site C, though two more infections have been found at the northern B.C. project in the last 24 hours.
Since March 2020, when the pandemic reached the region, the estimated $12.5-billion BC Hydro construction site has detected a total of 36 cases, four of which remain active as of this publication (Jan. 15).
The new numbers also show two people in isolation at the work camp near Fort St. John, while the 32 other cases are listed as fully recovered.
BC Hydro adds 991 workers are at Site C.
There are 2,200 rooms at the work camp, 150 of those available to isolate workers with COVID, or those with symptoms of sneezing, sore throat, muscle aches, headaches, cough fever, or difficulty breathing.
BC Hydro says isolation numbers can be expected to fluctuate, however, only six cases of the virus have been found over the first two weeks of 2021.
Currently, Northern Health is dealing with three COVID-19 outbreaks in Prince George.
Fourteen people have died in the Jubilee Lodge long-term care facility, where 61 infections have been detected, as per the regional authority’s latest update on Wednesday (Jan. 13).
Tests have come back positive for 48 residents and 13 staff members since the outbreak was declared on Dec. 12.
Meanwhile, University Hospital of Northern BC's (UHNBC) Internal Medicine Unit (IMU) is also battling a significant outbreak in place since Dec. 29.
A total of 31 cases have been detected, broken down among 19 patients and 12 staff.
In a Jan. 5 statement, Northern Health confirmed that one IMU patient succumbed to the virus associated with this outbreak.
There are also three cases confirmed in UHNBC’s Rehabilitation Unit, all of whom are patients, since an outbreak was first declared Jan. 4.
Northern Health has recorded 2,696 COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began last year, including 45 new cases from yesterday's (Jan. 14) update from Dr. Henry.
This includes 47 deaths linked to the virus, 14 people in critical care among 42 total hospitalizations and 2,142 recoveries.
A written update is expected from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry sometime after 3 p.m. this afternoon.
- with a file from Matt Preprost, Alaska Highway News
