B.C. has 95 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths, health officials said Saturday.
That means the province now has 1,948 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in B.C., and the death toll is at 100.
Ninety-six people are in hospital, 41 are in critical care, and 1,137 people have recovered, said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Henry said 115 of the cases are on Vancouver Island, up one from Friday. There are 778 cases in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 853 in the Fraser Health region, 160 in the Interior, and 42 in the North.
One of the reasons for the large jump in the number of confirmed cases Saturday has to do with the outbreak at Mission Institution, with 40 of the 95 new cases from that outbreak, Henry said. There are now 106 confirmed cases at the federal prison, including 12 staff members.
Henry said they have stepped up testing over the last few days of inmates and staff at Mission Institution.
“So that’s why we are seeing that big jump today. I think we are making headway in dealing with this issue. There are currently only two inmates in hospital at this time but it is a very challenging virus,” she said.
There was also a spike from the outbreak at a poultry processing plant in Coquitlam, where there were 16 new cases, said Henry.
Fraser Health shut down Superior Poultry Processors Ltd. on Friday, two days after the first positive test report came back from the lab.
The outbreak at Superior Poultry, which was first declared by health officials on Thursday, is linked to a larger outbreak at a sister plant, United Poultry in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where 35 people have tested positive.
Both plants are owned by the Pollon family, which raises chickens in the Fraser Valley.
“The fact that we picked these up and detect these outbreaks is a good thing in a sense. If they had continued to rumble along without us noticing we would have had more broader transmission in the community,” said Henry.
“It is very important for anyone in the community who has symptoms that might be related to COVID-19 to connect with 811, to call your health care provider and to isolate yourself and go for an assessment and a test of needed.”
Henry said one of the deaths reported Saturday is the first in the First Nations community. She offered condolences, saying First Nations elders are the keepers of history and culture and the loss has had a tragic impact on the community.
“We feel that collective loss today,” she said. “My thoughts are with her family and entire community.”
She said as the province moves forward in dealing with the pandemic, it is important to support those who are homeless or those living with mental health or substance abuse issues.
She acknowledged that B.C. is fighting not only the COVID-19 outbreak but also the ongoing opioid crisis, and welcomed the provincial government’s announcement Saturday about housing homeless people in hotels.
The province announced that hotels would provide safe housing for homeless people in camps in Topaz Park and on Pandora Avenue in Victoria and in Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver.
Henry also highlighted the issue of domestic violence, and noted that a crisis can lead to a spike in assaults at home.
She urged anyone who is experiencing violence to seek help, and to call 911 if they are in immediate danger.
— With a file from Scott Brown
