VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Provincial health officials have released a correction following Friday’s coronavirus briefing, saying the death toll in B.C. is now nine.
Further information about where or when this additional death occurred has not yet been provided.
No new deaths were reported at the 3 p.m. daily briefing but a statement Friday evening said a ninth person has died.
#COVID19-related death toll in #BC has risen to 9.
After initially reporting no more patients have died, the Ministry of Health has released an updated statement confirming another loss, but the total number of cases remains 348. @NEWS1130 is seeking clarification.— Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) March 21, 2020
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 77 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. on Friday, along with a province-wide ban on dining in at restaurants.
Henry also said there are a number of health workers at a care home in Coquitlam who have been infected and she is concerned about unidentified cases.
A staff member at the Dufferin Care Centre in Coquitlam was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier Friday, according to the Fraser Health Authority, making it the third long-term care home in B.C. affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
To help stem further spread of the virus, Henry also announced a province-wide order for all restaurants to move to take-out and delivery only, with no more table-dining inside them.
The City of Vancouver issued a similar order, among other decisions earlier Friday.
Henry clarified that real estate open houses are still allowed, but meetings have to be one-on-one between realtors and clients while maintaining a safe distance.
#BREAKING Province-wide order for all restaurants to move to take out and delivery only, so no more dining in anyhwere in #BC –not just in #Vancouver as announced earlier today by Mayor Kennedy Stewart. #COVID19 @NEWS1130
— Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) March 20, 2020
Henry added 22 people remain hospitalized with coronavirus in B.C., including 10 in intensive care units, while six previously diagnosed have fully recovered.
She stressed it’s important in order to keep health care workers safe to call ahead before going to get checked for symptoms.
Health Minster Adrian Dix clarified that B.C. hospitals are ready for a surge in COVID-19 cases, with acute care capacity currently at 78 per cent. Critical beds are at less than 62 per cent capacity, he added.
Dix also said more safety protocols are being developed to prevent theft of hospital supplies.
