Evening Update for April 7, 2020

There is good news for Vancouver Island residents with the latest COVID-19 numbers. There have been no new cases of the virus here since Monday. There have been no new deaths in the Island Health region for close to a week. The same can't be said for the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions, where there have been four more deaths over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 43 in BC. There have been 25 new COVID-19 cases in those two health regions during that time, totalling 1291 infections province-wide.Meanwhile, other COVID statistics show the Island Health region is lagging behind the provincial average when it comes to the number of hospital beds available and the virus recovery rate. BC's Minister of Health says 58 percent of hospital beds are in use across the province, but Island Health reports a 75 percent occupancy rate. Province-wide, 62 percent of those who caught the virus have recovered, but that number is less than 50 percent in the Island Health region.The province has secured 900 spaces to help vulnerable populations to self-isolate or quarantine during the epidemic. However, the only secured spaces on Vancouver Island are in Victoria. It has two sites, totalling 160 spaces. The Ministry of Housing says the new spaces will be available to a range of people, including the homeless, vulnerable youth and some patients released from hospitals who still need ongoing health care. Non-profit societies with experience working with vulnerable populations will oversee the day-to-day management of the spaces. Staff will provide daily meals and cleaning services. Health-care workers will also provide on-site care when needed. The Ministry expects to have more announcements about other spaces on Vancouver Island, in the coming days or weeks.While the city of Vancouver will close Stanley Park to traffic to ensure physical distancing, the city of Nanaimo has opted for new signage at its parks and trailheads. The list of do's and don'ts include reminders to keep 2 meters apart and no one showing symptoms of the virus is allowed to be in the public spaces. Healthy citizens may use open areas in parks. However, the city has closed its sports and recreation facilities and has banned the use of playgrounds and amenities like basketball, soccer fields, skateboard parks and gated off-leash dog areas. And finally, the normally stoic provincial health officer added some levity to her latest update. Dr. Bonnie Henry confessed to disregarding conventional wisdom about not cutting one's hair during the pandemic. Henry offered her apologies to her regular stylist, saying she "hopes her hair will calm down over the next few days.Written and reported by Lisa Cordasco. Senior Reporter and News Director for CHLY 101.7FM.Have a tip? Email: [email protected]: @lisacordasco / @chly1017FMFunded in by the Local Journalism Initiative of the Government of Canada through Heritage Canada in partnership with the Community Radio Fund of Canada.