The province announced 485 cases were discovered in British Columbia Wednesday, on par with increases over recent weeks. (The Canadian Press)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

NEW CASES

‘It is easy to let things slip and let our guard down:’ COVID-fatigue concerning for public health

Jan 27, 2021 | 3:22 PM

NANAIMO — B.C. residents are again being asked to hold the line on the one year anniversary of the province’s COVID-19 pandemic.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, Jan. 27, the province and public health announced 485 new cases of COVID-19 throughout B.C.

Messaging from public health in recent weeks centred around patience. Dr. Bonnie Henry pleaded with B.C. residents to double down on their efforts to combat viral spread.

“When we are tired, it is easy to let things slip and let our guard down,” Wednesday’s statement read. “Yet this only gives the virus a chance to spread a bit more. The actions we take may seem small, but will have a big impact to stop the virus in its tracks.”

Island Health confirmed 44 new cases in the health authority Wednesday, with the number of active cases at 204. Of those active cases, 153 remain in the central Island area.

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Many of the new cases are in the south Island region, with the central Island’s number of active dropped by four since Tuesday, Jan. 26.

There is a data discrepancy between Island Health and the province, based on the timing of COVID-19 results. NanaimoNewsNOW reports local verified data from Island Health.

Earlier Wednesday, Island Health chief medical health officer Dr. Richard Stanwick released data on the central Island region showing a lion’s share of recent COVID-19 cases stemmed from the south Cowichan and Nanaimo regions.

Thirty-two per cent of new COVID-19 cases from the last month were in the greater Nanaimo area alone.

Across B.C., the number of active cases rose slightly to 4,299 with 303 people in hospital, 74 of whom are receiving critical care.

A further four people passed away on Wednesday, taking the provincial COVID-19 death toll to 1,172. It’s one of the lowest increases in fatalities since Nov. 19.

The province has administered 124,365 doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines to date, including over 24,000 within Island Health.

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