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B.C. confirms 96 more cases of COVID-19, including a new outbreak at St. Paul's Hospital

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed 96 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, including an outbreak in the Urban Health Unit at St. Paul's Hospital.

Sixty-one people are currently in hospital, 22 of whom are in intensive care.

There are currently 1,465 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., a noticeable drop from Monday's numbers when there were 1,987 active cases reported. The Ministry of Health says the large shift is due to delayed notification of recovered cases in the last month by Vancouver Coastal Health to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

The ministry says the data is now up to date.

Public health is also monitoring 3,314 people who have been exposed to the virus.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,589 people who have tested positive for the virus have recovered. There were no new deaths announced Tuesday, leaving the provincial total at 227.

There are 12 other outbreaks in long-term care or assisted living facilities and four outbreaks in acute care facilities, including the one at St Paul's, Henry said.

St. Paul's Hospital outbreak

The outbreak — first discovered Sept. 21 — involves the hospital's Urban Health Unit, where a COVID-19 transmission was identified, according to the hospital's website.

The unit has since been closed to new admissions, while the rest of the hospital remains open and safe.

"Upon declaring the outbreak, Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care immediately implemented precautions, including enhanced cleaning, as well as contact tracing to protect the health of all staff, medical staff, and patients," the website says.

Prepare for fall

In her written statement, Henry reminded the public to be prepared as the weather begins to change.

"The start of fall is the time for all of us to regroup and reset our COVID-19 routines, and ready ourselves for the colder, wetter months ahead," she said.

"As we move inside, the activities we choose to do and the layers of protection we use need to be adjusted to ensure we are protecting ourselves, our friends and family — especially those who are most vulnerable to severe illness."

She said that includes spending less time with people outside of your household bubble.

Since students and staff have returned to school, there have been a number of exposures popping up around the province.

Henry says school exposures are posted on each regional health authority's website.