Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says an outbreak in Kelowna tied to a Canada Day party is particularly concerning. (flckr/Gov't of B.C.)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

covid-19 update

Vancouver Island COVID-19 cases hold steady, up to 35 tied to exposure in Kelowna

Jul 17, 2020 | 4:13 PM

NANAIMO — Vancouver Island has finished the week with only one new case.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced Friday there remains a total of 136 COVID-19 cases on the Island, with four considered active.

Dr. Henry confirmed 28 new cases across the province on Friday, making for the highest number of new cases in one day since early May.

It caps a week of rising COVID-19 cases as the province re-opens. Twenty or more cases were confirmed eight out of the last nine days after several weeks of much lower cases.

Several community transmission events are being tracked, such as a sizable one in Kelowna which created 35 new COVID-19 cases as of Friday.

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“This is one of the more concerning issues for us. We recognize there have been a number of events which happened there and we need people to start thinking about how we can socialize safely in the coming weeks,” Dr. Henry said.

She said party organizers in the region had the best of intentions, but several parties or gatherings were hosting in successive days with different groups and at different restaurants and bars.

“We know that gathering helps us feel connected and hopeful in these challenging times. We want to be able to do that.”

There’s also a concerning outbreak at St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver.

Dr. Henry said less than 10 babies, parents, families and healthcare workers were exposed to the virus in the NICU.

One baby tested positive for COVID-19 but isn’t showing signs of illness and none of the babies exposed have severe illness.

Dr. Henry did note most babies do well at handling viruses and infections at such a young age.

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