BC reports a record 165 new cases of Covid-19, four in Northern Health

Northern Health has added another four cases of Covid-19, marking 241 in the region.

It’s a new single-day case count record for the province as 165 people have tested positive in the past day.

There are now a total 7663 cases in BC, with 1705 being considered active.

Of the active cases, 57 people are in hospital and 22 people are in ICU.

The death toll has now reached 220, as one resident of long term care in Vancouver Coastal Health has died.

2949 people are under active public health monitoring, and the recovery rate is at 74.6 percent.

#COVIDBC update for Sept 17, 2020:
• 165 new cases
• 1,705 active cases
• 57 in hospital

Our small groups need to be the same small groups. Keep this in mind when planning activities, whether it’s a play date for your kids, or a weekend dinner party: https://t.co/Jj7Bbz11KN pic.twitter.com/ZGUTkt5ZVz

— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) September 18, 2020

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports another two outbreaks in the healthcare system in the lower mainland, as officials are now responding to 15.

Meanwhile, no school outbreaks have been reported in BC.

However, Dr. Henry says there is a new type of COVID test available for school-age children as an alternative for the nasal swab.

A saline rinse will be used, and does not have to be administered by a health care professional.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 2,714 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 3,937 in the Fraser Health region, 196 in the Island Health region, 489 in the Interior Health region, 241 in the Northern Health region and 86 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.