There s one word describing the north s current COVID-19 situation: concerning.
Cases are still surging while hospitalizations are also on a steep incline, which is pushing the health care system in the region to its max, where resources were already limited before the pandemic landed in March.
Christmas break has also started for schools throughout Northern Health, something that may be needed for the time-being as the list of exposure events has rapidly expanded over the past month.
But perhaps the most concerning part is that Northern Health currently has the highest positivity rate for the virus in all of B.C., currently at 10.2 per cent from the most recent data from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
by Craig Takeuchi on December 16th, 2020 at 8:30 PM 1 of 5 2 of 5
Although there are some signs of decreases in COVID-19 cases in some categories, the death roll remains high in the province.
In an effort to stop transmission and reduce both cases and deaths, B.C. announced that it is increasing enforcement of COVID-19 health measures.
That includes shifting virtual inspections to in-person visits, asking all officers and inspectors (including gaming investigators, conservation officers, community safety unit inspectors, and liquor and cannabis inspectors) to increase inspections and support police, and directing ICBC to eliminate its reminder period for unpaid accounts and send them directly to collections.