The B.C. Ministry of Health reported 536 new cases of COVID-19 across the province on Thursday, for a total of 59,608 cases since the pandemic began.
New cases were reported in these health regions:
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 102
- Fraser Health: 253
- Island Health: 21
- Interior Health: 115
- Northern Health: 45
The number of active cases in B.C. decreased from 4,810 to 4,624.
There are now a total of 362 people in hospital due to COVID-19, 74 of whom are in critical care — ICU or acute care units.
7 more people have died from COVID-related causes, bringing the provincial death toll to 1,038.
7,303 people are in isolation, under active public health monitoring, after exposure to COVID-19.
A total of 52,605 people have recovered from novel coronavirus.
Outbreaks
Two new health-care facility outbreaks have been reported, at Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre and Maple Ridge Seniors Village.
Two outbreaks have also been declared over at Ts’i’ts’uwatul’ Lelum and Veterans Memorial Lodge.
In total, there are 52 assisted-living, long-term care homes, seniors’ rental buildings and 12 acute-care facilities with ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks.
Outbreaks and other exposure events can be linked to from the BC Centre for Disease Control website.
More COVID-19 coverage from Victoria Buzz, including local exposures and outbreaks.
Island Health
21 new cases were reported in the Island Health region on Thursday.
As of Thursday, there are 189 active cases remaining in the region, according to Island Health. By Health Service Delivery Area, they are:
- South Island: 38 | Total cases: 389
- Central Island: 124 | Total cases: 561
- North Island: 27 | Total cases: 248
One new death was reported in the Island Health region. 13 people are currently hospitalized, including two people in intensive care units.
Island Health’s chart below shows the region’s COVID-19 curve over the course of the pandemic.
Variants
An additional case of the recently discovered UK variant of COVID-19 was confirmed in B.C., for a total of four cases.
Three of the UK variant cases have been linked to one traveller, and one has been linked to another traveller.
The first case of the South African variant in B.C. was confirmed as well. Dr. Bonnie Henry says this case is concerning as it has not been linked to international travel. Authorities are still investigating and contact tracing.
Vaccinations
To date, 69,746 (+6,316) people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in B.C.
Government agencies have set up a number of websites for British Columbians who need more information on COVID-19. Some links include:
- Details on the latest provincial restrictions
- BCCDC information on how to get tested
- Support for mental health and wellbeing
At the time of this publication, 93,449,558 cases of COVID-19 had been recorded worldwide. 2,000,286 have died, and 66,688,099 have recovered.
