Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. during her daily briefing from Victoria. (BC Government Flickr)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

COVID-19 UPDATE

Minor increase in COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island, officials say random community testing of little value

Apr 29, 2020 | 3:17 PM

NANAIMO — One new case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the Island Health region over the last 24 hours, bringing the total in the health authority to 120.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 34 new cases across the province during her daily briefing on Wednesday, April 29.

There are now 2,087 active or resolved COVID-19 cases in British Columbia, including 1,305 people who fully recovered and 109 who passed away.

Dr. Henry elaborated on the increased testing strategy the province is deploying across the province. On Tuesday, Island Health announced increased testing measures to include people with cold or flu symptoms.

She said calls for mass testing, regardless of symptoms, is counterproductive to the goal of irradicating COVID-19.

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“Random testing in the community of anybody with no symptoms is of very little value to us with the current test we have,” Dr. Henry said. “That type of testing leads to both false positives and false negatives and for a variety of reasons it’s not a reliable mechanism to understand what’s happening in our communities.”

The province also said approximately 15,000 people have returned home to B.C. since additional restrictions were put in place at entry points in the province.

The vast majority have been left to self-quarantine, with around 350 needing some extra help and just under 100 requiring province-supplied accommodations.

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