B.C.’s health officer says COVID-19 hikes elsewhere serve as cautionary tales

Dr. Bonnie Henry provides a COVID-19 update to the media on May 6. (Photo courtesy of B.C. Government)

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s health minister says the province is working to set up a lab in Vancouver to determine if respirators and other equipment meet safety standards.

Adrian Dix said Tuesday that B.C. is also rebuilding its reserve of personal protective equipment to prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19 as it explores the possibility of locally made products.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says an increase in cases in some parts of the world suggests local measures to prevent the spread of the illness should not be relaxed too quickly.

Henry says Beijing and the United States serve as cautionary tales for B.C., where COVID-19 cases have steadily declined.

The province reported 11 new cases on Tuesday, for a total of 2,756 since the start of the pandemic. One of the new cases was epidemiologically linked to previous cases.

A total of 168 people have died, but no new deaths have occurred in the last four days.

There are 172 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and 2,416 people have recovered from the illness.