Virus spread kept in check

Only 1 other worker contracts coronavirus at garden centre

The COVID-19 outbreak at a West Kelowna agricultural business has not spread significantly since it was first detected.

Since 14 foreign farm workers and domestic workers at Byland’s Nurseries tested positive for coronavirus in late March, only one additional case has been detected. The twoweek incubation period for that outbreak has now passed.

“Interior Health is working very closely with the owners to make sure everybody is cared for and that they’re able to self-isolate or quarantine effectively,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday.

The other community outbreak in the Okanagan also remains as a static situation, with only one case at the Okanagan Correctional Centre near Oliver since early April.

“That outbreak remains under observation. As we know, there is a 14-day incubation period so there is ongoing testing and surveillance being done at the Okanagan correctional facility, but to date only one person has tested positive and there have been a number of negative tests in that outbreak response,” Henry said.

The situation is more serious at another B.C. prison, however. There are now 35 people associated with the federal prison in Mission who have tested positive for COVID-19, and eight are now in hospital.

“We are working very hard to ensure that the transmission within that facility will be contained,” Henry said on Monday.

“Unfortunately, as we talked about on Saturday, there was quite a lot of transmission that happened before the outbreak was recognized and we are now seeing people who were exposed over the previous two weeks develop symptoms,” Henry added.

Across B.C., 45 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 since Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 1,445. Of those, 136 are in the Interior, up one from Saturday.

Hospitalizations in Interior Health remain low and stable, with 10 people being treated in hospital for COVID19

But since Saturday, 11 more British Columbians have died from COVID19, bringing the total to 69. The majority of those who’ve died have been residents of long-term care facilities. No deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in Interior Health.

Just over 900 of the 1,445 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.

Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix urged people to continue to observe rules on physical distancing, stay at home as much as possible, and limit trips to those that are essential.

“This is not forever, but it is for now,” Henry said of the regulations intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Henry said it’s too soon to say whether, and to what extent, the arrival of summer will affect transmission rates.

“We’re at that transition zone right now . . . I really can’t tell yet,” she said. “The challenge we have is that this is such a new virus and there’s so little immunity to it, it may still continue at a lower level even if it wanes somewhat with the warmer weather.”

Later this week, Henry will present more detailed information on who has been most affected by COVID-19, with breakdowns on the ages and locations of B.C. patients, along with an update on possible virus trajectories through the provincial population.

While some jurisdictions, particularly in Europe, are moving toward the lifting of certain COVID19 restrictions, believing the disease peak has passed in their countries, there is no current timetable or any such easing in B.C., Henry said.

Many factors need to be considered, she said, such as the outbreak situation in other parts of North America, before restrictions in B.C. will be eased.

“I will say that the basics, the hand hygiene, the safe distancing, the making sure our workplaces have enhanced cleaning, the working from home, those are things that are not going to change or a while,” Henry said.

“Those are things we’re going to have to be continuously thinking about doing for the next coming months until we have enough herd immunity that we’re not going to get a dramatic increase, or a rapid increase in infections in our communities,” Henry said.