Vancouver Coastal, Fraser Health report no new COVID cases Wednesday

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Fraser Health reported no new COVID-19 cases over the past day, as the number of people in hospital dipped slightly.

Eight people died due to COVID-19 in B.C. for a total of 2,953 since the pandemic started.

Overall, the province reported 235 new cases of COVID-19, including seven epi-linked cases, for a total of 353,139 cases in the province. However, the total number of cases have only increased by 174 from Tuesday because of data reconciliation from preliminary numbers.

Interior Health recorded 182 cases, while Northern Health saw 20, and Island Health diagnosed 30.

Hospitalizations fell by 16 to 329, while 51 people are in intensive care, which is one more than Tuesday.

Of the people who passed away, two were in Fraser Health, four were in VCH, and Northern Health and Island Health each saw one person die.

There has been an outbreak at Surrey Memorial Hospital in Fraser Health, and a total of nine ongoing outbreaks as health-care facilities.

They include:

Ponderosa
Hillside Village
Sidney Care Home
Berwick House Gordon Head
The Heights at Mt. View
Greenwoods
Luther Court
Yucalta Lodge

As of Wednesday 90.7 per cent of all eligible people five and older in B.C. have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 86.8 per cent are fully immunized.

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• B.C. reviewing of COVID response, asks for public input

On Wednesday, the provincial government announced it is seeking public input on its COVID-19 response and planning. The independent review will look at how prepared B.C. was, how effectively it communicated within departments and with the public, and what changes were made during the pandemic to improve.

British Columbians will have until April 20 to give written feedback about how they or their business have been affected by government decisions and communications throughout the pandemic. The survey is available on the government’s website.

A final report is expected in the fall.

However, it does not include an assessment of the policy decisions made by the province or Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry to deal with the consequences of the pandemic. Decisions about economic recovery supports for businesses and families also won’t be included.

On Tuesday, the province expanded the rapid program to include kits for anyone ages 40 and over. Eligible individuals 40 and older can pick up one kit containing five rapid tests every 28 days from participating pharmacies at no cost.