Island Health confirmed 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the largest three-day jump in months. (BC Government)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

BIG SPIKE

11 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Island Health

Oct 5, 2020 | 3:05 PM

NANAIMO — Island Health has a sizable number of new COVID-19 cases.

Eleven new cases were confirmed over the weekend in the Island Health region. It’s the biggest jump over a three day span since late April and part of 358 total cases confirmed across B.C.

There are now 220 total cases of COVID-19 in the Island Health region, however just 10 are active with five in the central Vancouver Island region.

Provincially, 1,353 cases are considered active including 66 people currently in hospital, 16 of whom are in critical or intensive care. Four people also passed away from COVID-19 over the weekend, all in the lower mainland.

Over the weekend, Island Health reported the first COVID-19 exposure event at a school in the region. It is one of 14 school exposures in B.C. since Oct. 1.

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Alberni District Secondary School said there was a potential exposure between Sept. 14-22 and Island Health are completing contact tracing to identify anybody who may need to self-isolate.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry presented updated COVID-19 modelling data during her update on Monday.

She said the curve across B.C. is trending down with contact tracers finding fewer connections with confirmed cases.

“We’ve having safe connections and on average, fewer infections for each case in recent weeks and each case is now transmitting on average to fewer than one person.”

Henry added over 80 per cent of new cases are either a result of direct contact with a positive case or being part of a cluster outbreak.

The province has also ramped up testing since the return to school for students last month. People aged between five and 18 are tested two to four times more than before classes resumed, according Dr. Henry said.

According to public health, seven of every 1000 COVID-19 tests among school aged children come back positive.

Throughout the pandemic, fewer than one per cent of COVID-19 patients under 19 required hospitalization with no deaths.

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