Curve continues to trend upward as B.C. announces 30 new cases of COVID-19

B.C.'s curve continued to trend upward Tuesday ashealth officials announced 30 new cases ofCOVID-19.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix warned in a written statementthat a few missteps could lead to a resurgence of cases in the province.

B.C. saw a spike in new infections over the weekend, with 102 new confirmed cases between Friday and Monday. At least 60 cases have beenlinked to events and parties in the Kelowna area over the past several weeks.

"This trend is a concern, but we can turn this trend around," Henry and Dix said.

On Tuesday evening, Dix tweeted that he and Henry will hold abriefing Wednesday afternooninstead of releasing case numbers in a statement, as initially planned.

B.C. has now seen a total of 3,328 cases. The province's death toll remained unchangedat 189, but the number of active cases jumped from 251 on Monday to 266 on Tuesday.

Fifteen people are in hospital, three of whom are in intensive care.Officials reported no new health-care facility outbreaks, but continue to combat active outbreaks at one long-term care facility and two acute-care facilities.

Dix and Henry said the increase in cases isthe result of community transmission from people increasing their social interactions this summer.

They said community cases have led to workers being exposed and testing positive for COVID-19 at restaurants, wineries and recreational facilities in the Okanagan and Lower Mainland.

Earls Restaurantsconfirmed Monday that three people who work at the Port Coquitlam location have tested positive for COVID-19 and are self-isolating at home.

Dix and Henry said transmission can be stoppedby seeing fewer people, only spending time with people youknow, keeping a safe distance from others and using a face mask when distancing isn't possible.

They askedpeople to pay attention to where they go and who they see to support contact tracing efforts.

"Let's put out these hot spots and keep our firewall strong," they wrote.