Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provide May 21 Update on COVID-19 in BC

May 21, 2021

 

Victoria — Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia:

“Today, we are reporting 420 new cases, for a total of 141,373 cases in British Columbia.

“There are 4,507 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and a further 135,068 people who tested positive have recovered.

“Of the active cases, 319 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 107 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.

“Since we last reported, we have had 84 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 240 new cases in the Fraser Health region, seven in the Island Health region, 58 in the Interior Health region, 31 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

“There have been six new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,667 deaths in British Columbia. Our condolences are with the family, friends and caregivers of the people who have died as a result of COVID-19.

“2,744,020 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to adults 18 and over in B.C., 142,406 of which are second doses.

“This long weekend is the time to stick with all of the public health orders and travel restrictions – staying small, staying local and getting registered for your vaccine if you have not already done so.

“We need to keep pushing COVID-19 down to be able to safely turn the dial on the current restrictions. The only way we can do that is to keep using our safety layers and getting more and more people immunized.

“On Tuesday, the details of the Restart Plan will be shared with everyone. At that point, you’ll be able to start to plan for what that means for you, your family and your business. There are no changes for individuals or businesses until that time.

“We’ll be taking a gradual approach to our restart, monitoring our progress as we go to ensure cases, outbreaks and hospitalizations don’t start to creep up. And, we need everyone to also do their part – this long weekend and in the weeks ahead. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.”

Learn More:

To see the May 20, 2021, PowerPoint presentation, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/20210520_PHO-Presentation.pdf

To view the latest registration numbers by age, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/5-10-21_vaccine_registration.pdf

Register for your vaccine now: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register
Or call 1-833-838-2323.

For more information about current COVID-19 travel restrictions, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/travel/current

Provincial health officer orders and guidance:

Orders: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

Guidance on restrictions: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions

The latest vaccine information:

For vaccine information, visit the BCCDC dashboard: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data
Or: www.bccdc.ca

The latest updates, guidance and information on COVID-19, and where to get tested:

The latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and to find a testing centre near you: http://www.bccdc.ca/
Or follow @CDCofBC on Twitter.

For data regarding ongoing outbreaks in long-term care, assisted-living and independent-living facilities in B.C., visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data#outbreak

Mental health support:

Mental health and anxiety support: www.bouncebackbc.ca
Or: www.anxietycanada.com
Or: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/mental-well-being-during-covid-19
Or: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/mental-health-substance-use/virtual-supports-covid-19

Non-health related information:

Financial, child care and education support, travel, transportation and essential service information: www.gov.bc.ca/covid19
Or call 1 888 COVID19 (1 888 268-4319) between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. (Pacific time), seven days a week.

COVID-19 exposure events, updates and information by health authority, visit:
BCCDC (flights, work sites, etc.): http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/public-exposures
Fraser Health: fraserhealth.ca/covid19exposure
Interior Health: https://news.interiorhealth.ca/news/public-exposures/
Island Health: https://www.islandhealth.ca/learn-about-health/covid-19/outbreaks-and-exposures
Northern Health: https://www.northernhealth.ca/health-topics/outbreaks-and-exposures
Vancouver Coastal Health: http://www.vch.ca/covid-19/public-exposures

For the latest videos and livestreaming of COVID-19 media availabilities, visit:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BCProvincialGovernment/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCGovNews
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ProvinceofBC