The B.C. Ministry of Health reported 1,236 new cases of COVID-19 across the province on Monday, for a total of 70,952 cases since the pandemic began.
New cases were reported in these health regions:
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 266
- Fraser Health: 601
- Island Health: 86
- Interior Health: 152
- Northern Health: 131
The number of active cases in B.C. decreased from 4,423 to 3,976 .
There are now a total of 239 people in hospital due to COVID-19, 69 of whom are in critical care — ICU or acute care units.
13 more people have died from COVID-related causes, bringing the provincial death toll to 1,259.
Over 6,900 people are in isolation, under active public health monitoring after exposure to COVID-19.
A total of 65,605 people have recovered from novel coronavirus.
Outbreaks
Two new health facility outbreaks were reported in B.C. on Monday, with one at Abbotsford Regional hospital and another at Dawson Creek hospital.
Outbreaks at Evergreen Baptist in White Rock, Hilltop House in Squamish, Mount St Joseph hospital in Vancouver, and Nanaimo Regional Hospital are over.
In total, there are 22 assisted-living, long-term care homes, seniors’ rental buildings and nine 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
86 new cases were reported in Island Health on Monday, for the period of February 5 to 8.
There are 240 active cases remaining in the region, according to Island Health. By Health Service Delivery Area, they are:
- South Island: 63 | Total cases: 518
- Central Island: 168 | Total cases: 1,048
- North Island: 9 | Total cases: 287
No new deaths were reported in the Island Health region, with a total of 20 deaths to date.
22 people are currently hospitalized in the Island Health region, including six people in intensive care units.
Island Health’s chart below shows the region’s COVID-19 curve over the course of the pandemic.
Vaccinations and Variants
To date, 154,496 people in B.C. have received a COVID-19 vaccine. 12,111 of those people have received their second dose.
To date, 40 cases of variants of concern have been confirmed in B.C.
These include 25 cases of the UK variant, of which 15 were in Fraser Health, five in Vancouver Coastal Health, four in Island Health, and one in Interior Health.
The remaining 15 variant cases were the South African variant, with 13 in Vancouver Coastal Health, and two in Fraser Health.
Only three of the cases are still active.
“The strategy that we have through the BCCDC makes me confident that it’s not widespread,” said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
She added that specific outbreaks like those in First Nations or acute care centres have been tested for variant cases. So far, these incidents have not seen cases of variants of concerns.
However, Dr. Henry says that there is growing evidence that these variants could cause a serious situation on the scale of dealing with a new pandemic.
“I think all of us are dreading that,” she said. “We need to get a handle on it…It can lead us into a brand new charge of increased numbers of cases if we don’t keep doing what we’re doing.”
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, 106,971,066 cases of COVID-19 had been recorded worldwide. 2,334,977 have died, and 78,797,584 have recovered.
