B.C. reports 53 new COVID-19 cases as total nears 4,000

Health officials on Friday reported 53 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and no new deaths.

The vast majority of the new cases occurred in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions, which both recorded 24 cases of the disease.

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There are 3,934 confirmed cases of the disease in B.C., according to a written statement from the province. Of those, 3,353 patients have fully recovered, or about 85-per-cent.

B.C. now has 386 active cases of COVID-19.

B.C.’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 195 as the province last recorded a coronavirus-related death a week ago.

The number of patients in hospital is unchanged at 11. Four of those patients are in intensive care, a decrease of one since Thursday.

Since July 17, there have been seven days with more than 40 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. The province last topped 50 cases a week ago.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control released a weekly report that shows 290 new COVID-19 cases were reported from July 31 to Aug. 6, a 46-per-cent increase from the week before. More than 60-per-cent of the new cases during that time period were recorded in Fraser Health.

Fraser Health declared a new outbreak at Derby Manor, an independent living facility in Burnaby, after a staff member tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Vancouver Coastal Health reported a COVID-19 exposure at the Pumpjack Pub in the city’s West End. Calling the exposure “low risk,” health officials are asking anyone who was at the pub between midnight and 2 a.m. on Aug. 1 to self-monitor for symptoms.

The province said more than 1,500 people in B.C. are self-isolating because they either have COVID-19 or have had a high-risk exposure to the virus.

“This is a concern and something we can change,” the statement said.

“Like a wildfire, COVID-19 has the potential to rapidly burn out of control and we need to put out these flare-ups.”