One new case was confirmed over the weekend for the Island Health region, part of 294 total cases across the province. (BC Government Flickr)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

COVID-19 BRIEFING

‘Superheroes’ needed to manage COVID-19 as province heads into flu season

Aug 31, 2020 | 3:33 PM

NANAIMO — The province has shone the bat signal for ‘superheroes’ to be the ones who lead BC through a tricky fall and winter flu season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed 294 new cases of COVID-19 across the province, including one in the Island Health region, on Monday Aug, 31.

There are 175 total cases of the virus in the region to date since the start of the pandemic, with just eight currently active. Across B.C., 1,107 people are listed as active.

Dr. Henry said keeping the bar extremely low for staying home is the key in balancing cold, flu, and COVID-19 in the coming months.

“It can be difficult to tell the difference between a cold, allergies, influenza and COVID-19 and as a result, the first step for anyone is to stay home if we’re not 100 per cent healthy.”

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She added the stigma surrounding working or going to school while sick must give way to a more pragmatic approach this winter.

“Our superheroes now are not the people who put aside their illness and go to work, but the people who protect our colleagues and communities by staying away until we’re healthy again.”

The province currently has 2,723 people under active, daily watch for symptoms after coming in contact with a confirmed case.

fFour people passed away over the weekend as a result of coronavirus.

Twenty-eight people are in hospital with 10 of those patients in critical care or ICU.

No new community transmission events were detected over the weekend. The province has officially declared over the outbreaks in Kelowna following Canada Day weekend parties and the outbreak in Haida Gwaii

Dr. Henry’s briefing on Monday implored British Columbians to rededicate to the basic principles which allowed the province to manage the first wave of COVID-19 in the spring.

“As we are looking now to the fall, we are entering a new phase of our BC COVID-19 pandemic. The new increase in the number of new cases we’ve seen over the past few weeks remains a concern for all of us and we all have to do our part to ensure community spread remains low,” Dr. Henry said.

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