Fighting pandemic is a global concern

VICTORIA — Zero deaths, zero community or care facility outbreaks, zero new or active cases in the Interior Health region.

That was the gist of the province’s COVID-19 update on Tuesday, but Dr. Bonnie Henry cautioned people to also take a global view of the pandemic’s current impact and continuing threat.

“I’m very grateful that in recent weeks our numbers of new cases here in British Columbia continue to trend down and to be low,” Henry said.

“But I want everyone to understand that the COVID-19 pandemic around us is far from over. Across Canada and around the world, it is still a major problem. The global case count continues to rise and many regions are facing a resurgence in cases as they’ve taken measures to open up, including regions that are very close to us, in the United States,” she added.

“And just yesterday was the highest single day for new cases globally since this pandemic started with over 136,000 people being affected, and when this is in one country, we are all connected.”

Three-quarters of new COVID-19 cases worldwide were from only 10 countries, mostly in the Americas and South Asia, the World Health Organization reported Tuesday.

“Our goal needs to be to learn to live safely with this virus,” Henry said, stressing again the importance of minimizing close, personal contacts, practising good personal hygiene, and responding quickly to contain any outbreaks.

Ten new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed among British Columbians between Monday and Tuesday, making the total 2,669.

Despite the steadily declining number of new cases, Henry stressed that it is still possible for COVID-19 to spread quickly among people who gather in groups, particularly if the event is indoors and a two metre separation is not maintained.

At a family gathering held recently in the Fraser Valley, she said, 15 of roughly 30 people who attended subsequently tested positive for the disease, “so that is a warning sign to us all.”