British Columbia, Canada, has just announced the first COVID-19-related death in the country, as well as five new cases of infection. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a statement that the man who died is one of the two people at a North Vancouver care home who tested positive for the virus last week.
Henry said that the 80-year-old man had underlying health conditions and passed away on Sunday night. The statement also said that Vancouver Coastal Health officials have been present at the site since they were announced that a woman who worked at the care center tested positive for the pathogen. The officer also said that two more residents at the home care were infected, and that ongoing testing and checking of all residents at the care home is currently underway.
New Cases of COVID-19
Henry said that officials have also discovered close contacts of B.C.’s first confirmed case of community spread of the novel coronavirus, a woman who worked at the care facility. It is apparent that the woman had actually contacted the virus while working at the care home, rather than bringing it there. Officials are currently investigating the matter.
Two more cases related to international travel have also been announced, and as of now, B.C. has confirmed 32 cases of COVID-19. Four people made a full recovery from the disease, and a few other cases confirmed early in the outbreak are now asymptomatic. Health officials are now waiting on tests to confirm that those people have recovered.
Extra Precautions Are Needed
With the increasing number of infections, Henry said that it depends on the public to stop the spread of the virus.
“Right now, we want everybody to stay home if you’re sick,” she said. “Even if you have the sniffles, you have a bit of a cold, your children are feeling a bit under the weather, keep them home from school, keep yourself home from work if you’re not feeling well. Even if you have no relationship to COVID-19, we want you to do that.”
She added that people must continually wash their hands, cover their mouths when they cough and do not touch their faces.
