Health alert in northern B.C. after COVID exposure

The health authority in northern British Columbia has issued an alert after more than a dozen people tested positive for COVID-19.

The alert says the outbreak is linked to a religious gathering held between July 30 and Aug. 2 in Deadwood, Alta.

Anyone who attended the It Is Time event is asked to monitor themselves, self-isolate and seek testing if any COVID-19 symptoms develop.

Northern Health says 17 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified so far, with 12 related to attendance at the event and the other five linked to secondary exposures.

Most of the cases are in Fort St. John, but the authority says the exposure alert applies to all of northeastern B.C.

The province had 4,358 cases in the last report on Friday, up 84 in an increasing infection rate that had Health Minister Adrian Dix warning that bylaw officers would be watching for those breaking the rules around social events.