Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia
“Today, we are reporting 841 new cases, including six epi-linked cases, for a total of 127,889 cases in British Columbia.
“There are 8,009 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, with 11,657 people under public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases. A further 118,057 people who tested positive have recovered.
“Of the active cases, 515 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 171 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
“Since we last reported, we have had 171 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 541 new cases in the Fraser Health region, 35 in the Island Health region, 74 in the Interior Health region, 20 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.
“There have been five new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,576 deaths in British Columbia. Our condolences are with the family, friends and caregivers of the people who have died as a result of COVID-19.
“The outbreaks at Sunset Manor and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital are now over.
“1,705,409 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 89,725 of which are second doses.
“Each week, more and more vaccine is arriving in our province, and with each person who gets their vaccine, we are all a little safer. Anyone in B.C. who is 18 years and older is now eligible to register for their vaccine on the Get Vaccinated website – the first step for everyone.
“People 59 and older can now also take the next step of booking their appointment, and we encourage you to do that right away. This will open up to people 58 and older at midnight tonight.
“Today, on this National Day of Mourning, we pause to remember and honour the people whose lives have been lost through work – whether a result of COVID-19, another illness or injury.
“We want everyone to go home from work safely every day, and we all have a part to play – it is about holding steady with our own individual efforts, to keep our loved ones and ourselves safe.
“We know what we need to do, and it is the small, simple steps that make the biggest difference. Washing our hands, staying home when we are feeling unwell, wearing our masks and giving others space – whether at the grocery store, at the park or playground.
“We are on our path, and while there may be obstacles to overcome along the way, by staying with our layers of protection, staying small and local, and following all of the orders in place, we will be able to put the pandemic behind us.”