Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says roughly nine new cases a day were discovered within Island Health over the Christmas holiday. (flickr/Gov't of B.C.)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

covid-19 update

Roughly 9 new COVID-19 cases per day within Island Health over Christmas holiday

Dec 29, 2020 | 3:27 PM

NANAIMO — There was little change in Island Health COVID-19 trends over the Christmas holiday.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 44 new cases of COVID-19 in Island Health from Christmas Eve to Tuesday, Dec. 29.

The health authority saw an average of seven new cases per day during December, which is inline with the nine new cases per day during the Christmas period.

New cases being announced were slightly above the monthly average leading into the Christmas holiday, with 10 confirmed on Christmas Eve.

Data from the BC CDC shows a significant downturn in testing over the holidays.

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The new cases bring the total in Island Health to 901 since the beginning of the pandemic.

There’s currently 76 cases considered active, roughly two-thirds in south Vancouver Island.

Across B.C., slightly more than 2,200 new cases were recorded during the five day reporting period, which is the longest reporting period in B.C. so far.

Dr. Henry confirmed a further 74 deaths since Christmas Eve, primarily in long-term care homes. None of the fatalities were in the Island Health region.

“We know this is the most challenging time to deal with these issues, not only because of COVID-19 but because of the time of year,” Dr. Henry said through tears.

The Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo is home to a COVID-19 outbreak, with two residents in the same unit testing positive for the virus.

It’s one of eight further outbreaks since Christmas Eve province-wide.

Dr. Henry confirmed no new cases of the more contagious UK variant have yet been found in B.C. after the first case was found in Island Health. It’s believed to have arrived on a plane from the UK. to Vancouver and then Nanaimo.

Testing is underway to uncover more cases of the variant, which doesn’t lead to more serious symptoms but can spread significantly quicker than the original virus.

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