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Mission prison COVID-19 outbreak ends, 9 new cases in B.C.

New positive test at Port Coquitlam care home
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B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix update COVID-19 situation at the B.C. legilsature, May 25, 2020. (B.C. government)

B.C. reported nine new positive tests for COVID-19 on May 28, with a single case at a Port Coquitlam senior residence bringing the number of coronavirus outbreaks in health care settings to 16.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said one of B.C.’s worst outbreaks, at the federal prison Mission Institution has been declared over. Lessons learned from that outbreak, which affected more than 100 people, have been applied by Corrections Canada to their prisons across the country, Henry said.

B.C.’s continued easing of pandemic restrictions continues with changes to farmer’s markets. Henry announced that non-food items may now be sold at farmers’ markets, and tables for eating local food are allowed, with spacing similar to what has been permitted for pubs and restaurants.

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Health Minister Adrian Dix noted that two more residents of long-term care homes in Fraser Health have died, bringing the number of deaths in those facilities to 93. While that is a tragedy, B.C.’s efforts since the first care home outbreak have prevented the widespread deaths seen in Ontario, Quebec and in other countries, Dix said.

Dix updated the effort to catch up on the estimated 30,000 scheduled surgeries that were postponed due to pandemic preparation in hospitals. B.C. health facilities completed 27,349 surgical procedures in the past week, up 3,817 from the previous week, and more than 6,000 patients have been contacted to reschedule procedures, Dix said.


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