The new case count remains high and above 500 while the numbers of active, hospitalized, and monitored cases or people continue to climb higher.

There are two new healthcare outbreaks, including one involving five patients, and there have been exposure events at a prayer hall, two restaurants, two stores, two flights, and 24 schools and one learning centre.

Enforcement

B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry had warned workplaces that inspections would be increased during the two-week period that her latest health orders (announced on November 7) are in effect in the Lower Mainland, including the Fraser Valley.

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General stated in a news release that between August 21 and November 9, a total of 47 tickets have been issued for COVID-19 violations.

That includes:

• 19 fines of $2,300 to owners or organizers contravening the provincial health order on gatherings and events;

• two $2,300 violation tickets for contravention of the provincial health officer’s Food and Liquor Serving Premises Order;

• 26 fines of $230 to individuals who refused to comply with law enforcement.

Since the start of the pandemic, police agencies in B.C. have issued 58 violation tickets to individuals who contravened the Federal Quarantine Act, for a total of $64,000 worth of fines. 

B.C. announced that the provincial state of emergency has once again been extended, this time until November 24. The declaration originally commenced on March 18.

B.C. COVID-19 update: November 10

In a joint statement, B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced 525 new cases today.

That includes:

• 325 new cases in Fraser Health;
• 159 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 27 in Interior Health;
• 7 in Northern Health;
• 7 in Island Health;
• no new cases of people from outside Canada.

Active cases continue to increase—at the moment, there are 5,133 active cases, which is 242 more people than yesterday.

Also steadily rising are hospitalized cases—142 individuals are hospitalized (nine more since yesterday), with 46 of those patients in intensive care (three more than yesterday).

Public health is monitoring 9,781 people, which is an increase of 602 people since yesterday.

Sadly, there have been three new COVID-19-related deaths. The total number of fatalities in B.C. during the pandemic is now at 284 people who have died.

Meanwhile, a total of 13,704 people (71 percent) who tested positive have now recovered.

A cumulative total of 19,239 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed during the pandemic, including:

• 11,582 cases in Fraser Health;
• 5,858 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 925 in Interior Health;
• 476 in Northern Health;
• 308 in Island Health;
• 90 people from outside Canada.

Outbreaks and public exposures

There are two new healthcare outbreaks:

• Burnaby Hospital (3935 Kincaid Street) in Burnaby, where five patients in a medicine unit have tested positive. Fraser Health stated that the unit has been closed to admissions, that the emergency department remains open, and other departments haven't been affected by this outbreak.

• Holyrood Manor (22710 Holyrood Avenue) in Maple Ridge, where one staff member tested positive.

Active outbreaks are now in a total of 39 healthcare facilities: 33 longterm care or assisted-living facilities and six acute-care facilities.

There aren’t any new community outbreaks.

However, there are public exposure events.

Fraser Health has listed an exposure event at Gurdwara Baba Banda Singh Bahadar Sikh Society (31631 South Fraser Way) in Abbotsford from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. from October 26 to 27 and 29 to 31, and November 3 to 6.

Vancouver Coastal Health listed two exposure events, both at Whistler restaurants.

One was at Earls Kitchen and Bar (220/221–4295 Blackcomb Way) during regular operating hours from October 31 to November 6.

The other was at Buffalo Bill’s Bar and Grill (4122 Village Green) during operating hours on October 31.

Loblaw announced that employees at two of its stores have tested positive.

One employee who tested positive last worked at the Shoppers Drug Mart (3025 Lougheed Highway) in Coquitlam on October 29.

Two employees who tested positive last worked at the Real Canadian Superstore (8195 120th Street) in Delta on November 1 and 4.

Today, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control only added two flights confirmed with COVID-19:

• October 30: Air Canada flight 25, from Vancouver to Incheon, South Korea;
• November 2: Flair flight 8187, from Prince George to Edmonton.

School exposures

Island Health and Northern Health didn’t add any new schools to their lists but three other regional health authorities did, with the majority of them in Fraser Health.

Interior Health added two schools in Kelowna with new exposure dates:

• Constable Neil Bruce Middle School (2010 Daimler Road) in West Kelowna had an exposure incident on November 2;

• École Dr. Knox Middle School (121 Drysdale Boulevard) in Kelowna also had an exposure on November 2.

Vancouver Coastal Health added exposure dates for five schools.

In Vancouver, three schools were added:

• Eric Hamber Secondary School (5025 Willow Street) had an exposure event from November 2 to 5;

• West Point Grey Academy (4125 West 8th Avenue) had an exposure event from November 5 to 6;

• Weir Elementary School located at Champlain Heights Elementary School (6955 Frontenac Street) had an exposure event from November 2 to 3.

In North Vancouver, one school was added: Lynnmour Elementary School (800 Forsman Avenue), which had exposures from November 3 to 4.

In Richmond, H.J. Cambie Secondary School (4151 Jacombs Road), which previously had exposures from October 13 to 16 and on October 19, has had a new exposure event from November 2 to 6.

Fraser Health, which has had the most number of COVID-19 cases, continues to have a high number of schools with confirmed cases.

Since yesterday, Fraser Health added exposure dates for 17 schools and one learning centre.

In Abbotsford, Mennonite Educational Institute (4081 Clearbrook Road), which had previous exposures on October 13, 14, and 16, has added October 30 as an exposure date.

In Burnaby, Burnaby North Secondary (751 Hammarskjold Drive)—which previously had exposures on from October 8 to 9, from October 14 to 15, and just had another exposure announced from October 28 to 30—has had one more exposure event from November 2 to 3;

In Chilliwack, Chilliwack Secondary (46363 Yale Road), which previously had an exposure event from September 22 to 24 and had another exposure from October 26 to 29, had added October 30 as an exposure date.

In Langley, Global Montessori School (19785 55A Avenue), which previously had exposure events from October 19 to 22 and on October 23 and 26, has added an exposure event from October 27 to 30.

Also in Langley, the Langley Online and Distributed Learning Centre had an exposure on November 2.

In New Westminster, two schools had new dates:

• New Westminster Secondary (835 8th Street)—which previously had exposures from September 15 to 17; from October 14 to 16 and 20 to 21; and from October 26 to 27—had another exposure event from November 2 to 3;

• Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary (1714 8th Avenue)—which had previous exposures from September 14 to 15 and September 24 to 25, and October 2—added October 30 as a new exposure date.

Surrey continues to see among the highest number of schools with exposure events.

In Surrey, 11 schools had new exposures:

• Cambridge Elementary (6115 150th Street)—which had previous exposures from October 13 to 14; October 16; and from October 19 to 22—added November 2 to 5 as a new exposure event

• Creekside Elementary (13838 91st Avenue) had exposures from November 3 to 5;

• Earl Marriott Secondary (15751 16th Avenue), which previously had exposures on September 17, 18, 21, and 23, has added November 2 to 4 as exposures;

• Dr. F.D. Sinclair Elementary (7480 128 Street), which previously had an exposure event from October 5 to 6, had another exposure from November 3 to 5;

• Frank Hurt Secondary (13940 77th Avenue) in Surrey—which previously had exposures from October 1 to 2; from October 5 to 9; from October 13 to 16; and on October 19, 21, and 22—had added November 2 and 3 as exposure dates; 

• Georges Vanier Elementary (6985 142 Street), which previously had exposures from September 29 to 30 and on October 19, has added November 2 as an exposure date;

• Royal Heights Elementary (11665 97th Avenue) had exposures from November 2 to 4;

• Sullivan Heights Secondary (6248 144 Street)—which had previous incidents on September 8, from September 30 to October 1; from October 13 to 15 and 19; and from October 20 to 22—has added October 30 and from November 3 to 5;

• Westerman Elementary (7626 122 Street), which previously had exposure events from October 5 to 7 and from October 15 to 16, has added November 2 to 3;

• Khalsa School Elementary Newton (6933 124th Street), which previously had exposure events from September 22 to 25 and from October 20 to 22, had added October 28 to 30;

• Sikh Academy—Newton (12895 85 Avenue), which previously had an exposure on October 14, had a new exposure on October 28.