Northern Health residents were not among the 28 COVID-19-related deaths reported in B.C. on Thursday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said it was one of "the most tragic days" of the pandemic in B.C. All but two of the COVID-19 patients who died were residents of long-term care, she added.
"It is a tragedy, every single one of our elders and seniors (who have died)," Henry said. "These are families, these were friends. Our condolences go to all the families... to all of those who cared for people."
Health Minister Adrian Dix said 15 of those who died on Thursday lived in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 12 in Fraser Health and one on Vancouver Island.
"These deaths should not just sadden us... they should galvanize us to do more for one another," Dix said. "This is a crucial moment."
Dix urged British Columbians to follow the spirit of Henry's public health orders, avoid gatherings, and if in doubt, rule it out.
Henry said she understands people are tired of the public health orders, and that they want to get back to their normal lives – especially with the holidays coming.
"There will be a time when we can take our masks off, when we can hug our loved ones... That time is coming," Henry said. "Starting next week, we will have vaccine. It will make a difference... but it is going to take time."
The finish line is in sight, but, "we still have a long way to go," she said.
New cases continue to spread rapidly, she said, and it will be awhile before enough people are vaccinated to check the spread of cases.
On Thursday, Henry reported 40 new cases in the Northern Health region. Across the province there were 723 new cases, bringing the province's total since the start of the pandemic to 40,060.
Throughout B.C. there were 9,524 active cases of COVID-19, and 11,947 people being monitored for potential exposure, Henry said. A total of 346 British Columbians were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 80 in intensive care.
The total number of active cases in the Northern Health region wasn't provided, but on on Thursday the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 402 active cases. There were 43 Northern Health residents hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday, including 14 in intensive care. The total number of cases in the north since the start of the pandemic grew to 1,199.
The numbers provides by the B.C. CDC for the Northern Health region on Wednesday included a data error, a spokesperson for Northern Health said. But Thursday's numbers should be updated to reflect the correct information.
CONTACT TRACERS FALLING BEHIND
On Thursday, Dix announced that some B.C. residents have received fake text messages telling them they have tested positive for COVID-19.
This has been a problem throughout the world, not just in British Columbia, he said.
In addition, the surge in cases has strained Northern Health's ability to quickly contact everyone who has been tested, a statement issued by the health authority on Thursday said. The Northern Health region only has 42 people working as contact tracers, Dix said – the lowest among the province's health regions.
"The number of new people testing positive for the virus is impacting public health‘s ability to quickly contact people who have tested positive," the Northern Health statement said. "There is currently a backlog of people who have tested positive for COVID-19, but have not yet been contacted by public health. Northern Health is deploying additional staff to its case and contact management teams, and making other necessary changes to how cases are notified, monitored, and cleared from self-isolation, to clear the backlog and speed up the process in the weeks and months ahead."
Residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 will be called by somebody from Northern Health as soon as possible, the statement said. Once a person has been informed they have tested positive, they should self isolate immediately, along with their household.
"Rapid options for receiving COVID-19 test results (text or SMS) mean results may come well before a call from public health – which could take up to 4-5 days," the Northern Health statement said. "We are working to reduce this time frame with additional staffing, and shifting the focus of detailed contact tracing."
Currently, the contact tracing process includes health officials identifying and directly notifying all close contacts of every confirmed case. However, Northern Health will be moving to only gathering information on and notifying close contacts in specific situations – including health care workers, long-term care workers, cases related to industrial projects, cases in First Nations communities, and those part of a known cluster or outbreak.
"This will ensure public health can respond quickly to developing clusters of cases or potential outbreaks for those that are most vulnerable," the Northern Health statement said. "Rates of COVID-19 activity in the North during this second wave mean that all residents, whether or not they are known close contacts of a lab-confirmed COVID case, are at similar risk. For this reason, everyone should be following public health advice and orders, closely self monitoring for symptoms, and seeking testing if symptoms develop. If you are experiencing potential COVID-19 symptoms, we continue to ask that you self-isolate, and contact your primary care provider or the NH COVID-19 Online Clinic and Information Line at 1-844-645-7811."
