A man in his 60s became the third person in the Northern Health region to die of COVID-19 on Friday.
A spokesperson for Northern Health said the health authority could not provide any further details about the man, or the circumstances of his death. On Thursday, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported two people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Northern Health region – including one person in intensive care. On Friday, that number was reduced to zero.
On Friday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and deputy minister of health Stephen Brown issued a joint statement saying three people in B.C. had died of COVID-19 since Thursday's update.
"There have been three new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 238 deaths in British Columbia," Henry and Brown said. "We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Henry and Brown reported a single new case of COVID-19 in Northern Health region on Friday, bringing the total of the region since the start of the pandemic to 318.
Throughout the province, there were 161 new cases reported, bringing the provincial total to 9,381 cases.
"There are 1,302 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 3,114 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 7,813 people who tested positive have recovered," Henry and Brown said. "Currently, 63 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, 16 of whom are in intensive care."
On Friday, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 30 active cases in the north, with no patients hospitalized.
Record numbers of COVID-19 tests have been performed in the north in the past two weeks – reaching a single-day high of 561 on Sept. 26, the B.C. CDC reported. More than 400 tests were performed in the north on seven of the last 14 days.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 21,937 COVID-19 tests have been administered in the Northern Health region.
"For many months now, COVID-19 has been a part of our communities. As a result, we have had to adapt and learn new ways to protect ourselves and each other," Henry and Brown said. "We are all facing the same obstacle. With kindness and compassion to friends and neighbours, and steadfast commitment to doing the right thing, we will get through this together."
CASES RISING IN THE NORTHERN INTERIOR
The Northern Interior health service delivery area – which includes Prince George – had more new cases of COVID-19 over the past two weeks than any other area in B.C. outside of the Lower Mainland, according to data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Between Sept. 18 and Oct. 1, there were 37 new cases of COVID-19 in the Northern Interior, one of three health services areas that make up the Northern Health region. In addition to Prince George, the Northern Interior includes Quesnel, Mackenzie, Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, Burns Lake and several smaller communities.
Only the health areas of Vancouver, North Shore-Coast Garibaldi and Fraser North, South and East had higher numbers of new cases over the same period. All five of those health areas include communities in the Greater Vancouver area.
In the Northwest region there were 23 new cases from Sept. 18 to Oct.1, and in the Northeast there were 15 cases over the same period, the B.C. CDC reported.
As of Oct. 1 there have been a total of 104 cases of COVID-19 reported in the Northern Interior since the start of the pandemic, 79 in the Northwest and 134 in the Northeast – for a total of 317 cases in Northern Health as of Thursday.
COVID-19 case counts are normally reported by health authority region – Northern Health, Interior Health, Island Health, Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health – but the B.C. CDC provides a more detailed breakdown by health service area once per week on Thursdays.
