COVID-19 continues to take lives ahead of the holidays in B.C. as 41 people succumbed to the virus since Friday (Dec. 18).
Dr. Bonnie Henry reported 1,667 new COVID-19 cases from the weekend in the province for a grand total of 47,067 since January and of those, 90 infections were found in Northern Health for a regional tally of 1,599.
The provincial death toll sits at 765; none of the new deaths were from the north.
There are currently 9,719 active cases in B.C., 80 people admitted into critical care out of 341 total hospitalizations and 35,555 recoveries.
Additionally, Dr. Henry announced 9,651 people are under active public health monitoring; it's also unclear at this point how many active cases are in Northern Health due to a technical error, she explained.
The latest three-day case counts are as follows:
- 652 = Friday to Saturday
- 486 = Saturday to Sunday
- 529 = Sunday to Monday
Henry added that officials are tracking the new strand of mutated COVID-19 that has emerged in Great Britain, but there has so far been no evidence that the new variation has entered B.C. or Canada.
Officials have confirmed that COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in every B.C. health jurisdiction, and plans are being developed in terms of who are eligible to get the shots first.
Henry also noted that – from what she has seen so far – the new COVID-19 variation that has shut down air links in and out of Great Britain sports as many as 17 new mutations, but that isn’t unusual for an RNA virus like COVID.
She added that while the new mutation does become more infectious in attaching to receptors in the human body to start the infection process, it does not seem to increase severeness of illness or the accuracy of COVID tests.
Kids are out of school, but four Prince George elementary schools were listed by Northern Health today for additional COVID-19 exposure events, including a new institution.
Southridge and Pinewood became the 17th and 18th schools in the city to be marked for the virus with Dec. 10 and Dec. 14 and 15 cited as the respective dates of potential exposure.
The self-monitoring window for Southridge formally ends Dec. 25, while Pinewood's will end Dec. 29.
The new dates for the other two other schools are as follows:
- Heather Park Elementary = Dec. 11, 2020 = Self-monitoring ends Dec. 25
- Westwood Elementary = Dec. 9, 2020 = Self-monitoring ends Dec. 23
Northern Health's school-exposure section explains students should still go to school "if you do not receive a phone call or letter from Public Health," but you're also encouraged to monitor symptoms daily.
- Contact tracing is initiated to determine how the individual was infected and who they were in close contact with
- We identify and notify close contacts who may be at an increased risk, and advise them to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms for 14 days
- Only Public Health can determine who is a close contact
- Learning groups, friends or other connections may not be determined to be a close contact
- Public Health staff works closely with the school and school district throughout the case and contact management process to maintain close communication with the school community
The full up-to-date list of northern B.C. schools marked for the virus is as follows:
- Pinewood Elementary (SD57) - Dec. 14-15, 2020
- Southridge Elementary (SD57) - Dec. 10, 2020
- Caledonia Secondary (SD82) - Dec. 10-11, 2020; Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2020; Dec. 1-2, 2020; Nov. 30, 2020
- Heather Park Elementary (SD57) - Dec. 1-2, 3, 4, 7-8, 11, 2020
- Westwood Elementary (SD57) - Dec. 9, 2020; Dec. 8, 2020
- St. Mary's Catholic School (Diocese of Prince George) - Dec. 8-11, 2020; Dec. 7-10, 2020; Dec. 3-4, 2020; Dec. 1-2, 2020
- Caledonia Secondary (SD82) - Dec. 10-11, 2020; Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2020; Dec. 1-2, 2020; Nov. 30, 2020
- Mountain View Christian Academy (Independent) - Dec. 8-10, 2020; Dec. 7-8, 2020
- Thornhill Primary School (SD82) - Dec. 4, 7-11, 14-17, 2020
- Walnut Park Elementary (SD54) - Dec. 9-10, 2020
- Shas Ti-Kelly Road Secondary (SD57) - Dec. 7-11, 2020; Dec. 1-2, 2020; Nov. 30, 2020
- College Heights Secondary (SD57) - Dec. 10-11, 2020
- D.P. Todd Secondary (SD57) - Dec. 1 and 2, 2020
- Dawson Creek Secondary - South Peace Campus (SD59) - Dec. 8, 2020; Nov. 16-18, 2020; Sept. 23-25, 2020
- Smithers Secondary (SD54) - Dec. 7 and 10, 2020
- Fort Nelson Secondary (SD81) - Dec. 7, 2020; Oct. 15-16, 2020
- Skeena Middle (SD82) - Dec. 4 and 7, 2020
- Ecole Central Elementary (SD60) - Dec. 4, 2020
- Nak’albun Elementary (Independent) - Dec. 3-4, 2020; Nov. 22-25, 2020; Sept. 16-18, 2020
- Ecole Central Elementary (SD60) - Dec. 2-3, 2020
- Suwilaawks Community School - Terrace (SD82) - Dec. 1-2, 3-4, 2020; Nov. 27, 30, 2020
- Kitwanga Elementary (SD82) - Dec. 1-3, 2020
- Prince George Secondary (SD57) - Dec. 1-3, 2020; Nov. 18, 2020; Oct. 2, 2020
- Bert Bowes Middle (SD60) - Dec. 1-4, 2020; Nov. 16, 18-20, 30, 2020
- Margaret Ma Murray Community School (SD60) - Dec. 1-4, 2020; Nov. 23-26, 27, 30, 2020
- Uplands Elementary (SD82) - Dec. 1, 2020; Nov. 30, 2020
- Fort St. James Secondary (SD91) - Dec. 1, 2020; Nov. 19-20, 20-26, 30, 2020
- Veritas Catholic School (Diocese of Prince George) - Nov. 30, 2020
- Anne Roberts Young Elementary (SD60) - Nov. 30, 2020
- Bert Ambrose Elementary (SD60) - Nov. 30, 2020
- David Hoy Elementary (SD91) - Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2020; Nov. 25-26, 2020; Sept. 17-18, 2020
- William Konkin Elementary in Burns Lake (SD91) - Nov. 16, 23-24, 23-27, 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, Nov. 30, 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
- 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
- Lakes District Secondary (SD91) - Nov. 23, 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
- 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
On Sunday (Dec. 20), Northern Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak at two workforce accommodation sites for Coastal GasLink.
The outbreaks were detected at the 7 Mile Lodge in the Burns Lake Local Health Area (LHA), and Little Rock Lake Lodge in Nechako LHA. The declaration comes after evidence of COVID-19 transmission was found among Pacific Atlantic Pipeline Construction (PAPC) staff working at, and moving between, the two sites.
To date, 27 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, and 17 cases remain active. All of these cases are considered to be associated with this outbreak; employees are being screened, and contact tracing is continuing.
Those identified as cases and close contacts have been instructed to self-isolate, either at their current location (Lodge), in alternate accommodations, or their home communities.
- with files from Hanna Petersen, PrinceGeorgeMatters, and Chuck Chiang, Business In Vancouver
