It’s not the news anyone wants to hear.

B.C. has set a new record high number of new cases—for the third time this week—with today’s number significantly higher than previous highs.

Also, numbers in all other case categories have increased.

There are also six healthcare outbreaks, one new community outbreak, 11 schools with new exposure dates, and four flights and two stores with confirmed cases.

For the first time in several months, B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix have scheduled a B.C. COVID-19 briefing tomorrow on a Saturday (November 7) at 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is now offering a texting service for new cases of COVID-19. Those in B.C. can sign up to receive text notification for both positive or negative test results, in addition to test results being available through Health Gateway and other online portals. More information is available at the BCCDC website. 

B.C. COVID-19 update: November 6

In a joint statement, Henry and Dix announced there are 589 new cases (including five epi-linked cases) in B.C. today.

That’s the second consecutive day this week that B.C. has hit a record high for new cases.

Yesterday, there were 425 new cases and the previous record was 389 new cases on November 1, during three consecutive days with new case counts over 300.

The regional breakdown of new cases is as follows:

• 402 new cases in Fraser Health;
• 146 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 24 in Interior Health;
• 12 in Northern Health;
• 5 in Island Health;
• no new cases of people from outside Canada.

Active cases have not stopped increasing this week—today there are 3,741 active cases, which is a jump of 352 people from yesterday’s total.

Hospitalized cases are also still rising. Currently, there are 104 individuals hospitalized—which is seven more people than yesterday—with 28 of those patients in intensive care units (four more than yesterday).

Public health is monitoring 7,887 people (due to exposure to confirmed cases)—an increase of 368 people since yesterday.

One of the largest numbers of healthcare outbreaks—six—was reported today and all are in the Fraser Health region:

• Suncreek Village (13687 62nd Avenue) in Surrey;

• Fort Langley Seniors Community (8838 Glover Road) in Langley, which previously had an outbreak on October 21;

• Northcrest Care Centre (6771 120th Street) in Delta;

• the PATH unit at Fellburn Care Center (6050 East Hastings Street) in Burnaby;

• Ridge Meadows Hospital (11666 Laity Street) in Maple Ridge, where Fraser Health stated that evidence of transmission has been found in one acute-care unit (which has been closed to admissions), and one staff member and one patient have tested positive;

• Langley Memorial Hospital (22051 Fraser Highway) in Langley, where Fraser Health stated that one staff member in an acute-care unit (which has been closed to admissions) has tested positive.

Meanwhile, the outbreak at Fair Haven Homes Burnaby Lodge in Burnaby has been declared over.

Active outbreaks are now at a total of 35 healthcare facilities, which includes 31 longterm care facilities and four acute-care facilities.

Interior Health confirmed there is one new community outbreak at the construction site for the Patient Care Tower at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, where seven people have tested positive.

Interior Health stated in a news release that there isn’t any evidence of exposure to staff or patients, and that hospital operations are not impacted. The exposures are limited to the work site and after an assessment of safety protocols by Interior Health’s medical health officer, a work stoppage has not been ordered.

Sadly, there are two new deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 275 deaths in B.C. during the pandemic.

A total of 13,035 people who tested positive have now recovered.

During the pandemic, there has been a cumulative total of 17,149 cases in B.C., which includes:

• 10,109 cases in Fraser Health;

• 5,369 in Vancouver Coastal Health;

• 845 in Interior Health;

• 450 in Northern Health;

• 286 in Island Health;

• 90 people from outside Canada.

Public exposures

Loblaw announced that staff at two Real Canadian Superstore locations have tested positive.

One was at the 14560 104th Avenue location in Surrey, where two employees who last worked there on October 30 and November 3, tested positive.

The other location is at the 19851 Willowbrook Drive location in Langley, where two employees also tested positive, with their last dates at the store on October 24 and 25.

The BCCDC added four flights confirmed with COVID-19 to its list:

• October 24: Air Canada flight 192, from Victoria to Toronto, affected rows 26 to 32;

• November 1: Air India flight 186, from Vancouver to Delhi, affected rows not specified;

• November 2: Air Canada flight 103, from Toronto to Vancouver, affected rows 19 to 25;

• November 2: Air Canada/Jazz flight 8069, from Vancouver to Victoria, affected rows 7 to 13.

Anyone in the affected rows or on these flights should monitor for symptoms for 14 days after the flight date. If symptoms develop, immediately self-isolate and call 811 (if in B.C.) or your local healthcare provider.

School exposures

Regional health authorities have added 11 schools with new exposure dates to their lists.

Interior Health has added two schools with new exposures.

In Kelowna, two school had new exposures:

• École KLO Middle School (3130 Gordon Drive) had exposures on October 30 and November 2;
• St. Joseph Elementary School (839 Sutherland Avenue), which previously had exposures from October 21 to 22, has added November 2 as an additional date.

Vancouver Coastal Health added four schools with new exposure dates.

In Vancouver, Killarney Secondary School (6454 Killarney Street) has exposure from October 29 to 30.

In Richmond, two schools had new exposures:

• William Bridge Elementary School (10400 Leonard Road) had exposures from October 26 to 29, and on November 2;
• Mitchell Elementary School (12091 Cambie Road) had an exposure incident on November 2.

In Coquitlam, Smiling Creek Elementary (3456 Princeton Avenue), which previously had an exposure on October 16, had a new exposure on November 2.

Fraser Health added five schools with new exposure dates.

In Langley, D.W. Poppy Secondary (23752 52 Avenue) had exposures from October 27 to 28.

In the Fraser Valley, several schools were issued early notification letters on November 1 after an outbreak at the Capella Dance Academy in Chilliwack was declared on November 2.

Among the schools that received a letter and have since had exposure dates are:

• G.W. Graham Secondary (45955 Thomas Road) in Chilliwack had exposures on October 23 and from October 26 to 29;
• Rosedale Traditional Community School (50850 Yale Road) in Rosedale had exposures from October 26 to 28;
• Sardis Secondary (45460 Stevenson Road) in Chilliwack had exposures from October 26 to 29;
• Vedder Middle (45560 South Sumas Road) in Chilliwack had exposures from October 26 to 28 and on October 30.