Island Health reported 19 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total active cases in the region to 202. Of these, 110 are in the central island, 48 are in the south and 44 are in the north, according to the health authority’s website.
There are nine people hospitalized with the virus in Island Health, one of whom is in critical care, according to the B.C. government’s COVID-19 dashboard.
B.C. has received its first doses of the AstraZeneca – SII Covishield vaccine, according to a joint statement by Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer and Adrian Dix, minister of health.
“We will use this vaccine to assist with outbreak response in communities and within high-risk industries,” it reads. “With every outbreak that is quickly managed and every worker who is immunized, all of us have increased protection. With each person who is immunized, it means our friends and loved ones are safer and we are all closer to putting COVID-19 behind us.”
The province now has 4,861 active cases of the virus, after reporting 531 new cases in the past 24 hours. There are 244 people hospitalized, 66 of whom are in critical care, according to the statement. One more person has died from COVID-19.
To date, 355,340 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered in B.C., 86,960 of these have been second doses. Vaccine appointment bookings are now open for people over age 90 and Indigenous peoples over age 65
“We remind everyone who is outside of these age groups to wait to call until your registration window begins,” reads the statement.
There are currently 9,051 under public health monitoring as a result of exposure to the virus.
