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B.C. surpassed 20,000 cases of COVID-19 in November, with cases climbing exponentially heading into the flu season. Health authorities have expressed concern that if the trend continues, it will put the province in dangerous territory.
Provincewide numbers mask the fact that most new infections are occurring in the Lower Mainland. The Fraser Health Authority has been particularly hard hit.
The latest totals
As of November 12, new cases of the coronavirus weredoubling every two weeks, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“We’re starting to lose our ability to manage every case,” she said during a daily coronavirus update.
Hospitalizations and patients
Hospitalizations have also been increasing, and while deaths have not seen exponential growth, there is concern that could happen if the cases continue to spike.
By mid-November, critical care beds up around the province were beginning to fill, although Adrian Dix, the Minister of Health, noted that none of the “surge beds” that had been put in place during the spring were in use.
