Officials say patient outbreak at North Shore hospital is over

B.C. health officials have declared an end to the coronavirus outbreak at North Vancouver’s Lions Gate Hospital.

It was the second outbreak at Lions Gate, but the first time the coronavirus was detected in patients, not counting patients in the hospital’s COVID-19 ward. The first outbreak was among staff.

Two other hospital acute-care units in B.C. still have active outbreaks, as well as 14 long-term care or assisted-living facilities.

Fraser Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak Friday at another food processing facility.

Five employees of Nature’s Touch, a frozen fruit processing plant in Abbotsford, have tested positive for COVID -19. The facility will be closed through the weekend, and Fraser Health said it is working with the plant to ensure the safety of employees when they return.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 18 new COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths Friday.

There were bigger changes in case numbers within health regions because of a statistical change in the way cases are counted.

Previously, figures were based on which health region people were in when they tested positive. Now it is based on the region in which they live.

Dix and Henry also placed restrictions on the number of vehicles allowed at drive-in movies, which appear poised for a comeback in Metro Vancouver due to social distancing regulations.

They said while Phase 2 is now underway, the provincial health officer order restricting mass gatherings to no more than 50 individuals remains in place, and the order has been amended to also include no more than 50 vehicles for outdoor drive-in events, with a restriction on the sale of refreshments.

People attending these events must stay in their cars as well unless they have to use the washroom.

Friday’s updated numbers means B.C. has had a total of 2,507 COVID-19 cases.

There are 310 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., as 2,042 people who tested positive have recovered and 155 British Columbians have died.