A spike in total cases over the Thanksgiving long weekend is being blamed on an extra day in the reporting period and the backlog of tests various testing centres went through in the last four days. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

WEEKEND COUNT

10 new Island Health COVID-19 cases confirmed over Thanksgiving long weekend

Oct 13, 2020 | 4:09 PM

NANAIMO — An extra day between reports from the province and clearing a backlog of testing has seen COVID-19 cases spike within Island Health and throughout B.C.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed 549 new cases of the coronavirus in B.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 with 10 in the Island Health region.

The cases were confirmed over four reporting periods from the long weekend. They bring Island Health’s total to 235 cases since the start of the year with 17 currently active.

Of the active cases, seven are in the central Island region including communities like Nanaimo and Oceanside. Seven are situated to the south and three to the north.

Dr. Henry said staff at the BC Centre for Disease Control and other labs across B.C. managed to clear an extra day’s worth of tests and reduce their backlog.

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“We are finding people who are positive with COVID-19 and while clearing the backlog meant an increase in the overall number of confirmed cases, the active cases and the per cent that are positive remain stable,” Dr. Henry said.

Over the weekend, 1.39 per cent of all test results came back positive, below the two per cent threshold set by public health.

Across B.C., 1,476 cases are currently active with 77 people in hospital, 24 of whom are receiving intensive or critical care.

Five deaths linked to COVID-19 were recorded over the long weekend, all in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health authorities.

During her briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Henry stressed balance in social interactions and called for people to be aware of their cumulative interactions with others.

“The more time we spend with others in one area means we have to be careful about spending less time in another area. If you’re in a busy workplace, have children in school then it’s all the more important to limit your time with others.”

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