BC may be able to consider a slight easing some of the COVID-19 restrictions in mid-May.
However, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says a continued leveling-off in the number of COVID-19 cases in BC is necessary for this to happen.
During a presentation of computer modeling for the outbreak, Dr. Henry says that social distancing by British Columbians is having an impact.
The new projections suggest the province could begin to ease some of the restrictions next month if active cases and hospitalizations continue to fall.
Dr. Henry says the modeling on infection rates, the rate of hospitalizations and the fatality rates all indicate a continued flattening of the curve that has been happening over the last few weeks.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says the numbers show that health measures taken to deal with COVID-19 in BC are making a difference.
Dix BC COVID-19 cases have reached a plateau and “started to decline in terms of hospitalizations and in terms of critical care.”
He says, “hospitalizations at little over a week ago peaked at about 149, and it is at 120 now; the most important fact of that is that it peaked at 149, well within our capacity to deal with it.”
Dix says we are “well below the projections based on the Italian and Hubei experiences.”
Physical distancing, travel restrictions, and the banning large gatherings mean that the impact of COVID-19 in BC is closer to that of South Korea, rather than Italy.
You can view the charts from Friday’s presentation by Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix at the BC Centre for Disease Control website.
View the BCCDC COVID-19 dashboard.
