British Columbia is reporting 508 new cases of COVID-19 for the entire province with nine additional deaths in that span.
Of the 508 new cases, 13 are linked to the Island Health region. The Island’s health authority has now reported 92 cases of COVID-19 over the past three days.
There are currently 4,479 active cases in British Columbia, while 6,719 residents remain under active public health monitoring.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says that 315 are in hospital – an increase of 6 since Jan. 21 – with 74 people in critical care as a result of the virus (an increase of six).
Since Thursday’s numbers, there have been 132 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 228 in the Fraser Health region, 13 in the Island Health region, 79 in the Interior Health region, 55 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.
There were nine additional deaths related to the virus on Friday. This brings the provincial death total over the course of the pandemic to 1,128.
Also as of Thursday, the total number of cases in British Columbia over the course of the pandemic has reached 63,484.
Health officials also said that 110,566 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in B.C, 2,202 of which are second doses.
“Today, B.C.’s provincewide COVID-19 Immunization Plan was shared. It outlines the age-based approach for immunization and population protection being used here in British Columbia. This approach will ensure those who are at highest risk of severe illness and death receive the vaccine first,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix in a written statement on Friday afternoon.
Earlier today, Dr. Henry was joined by Premier John Horgan and Dr. Penny Ballem to present a detailed timeline of the vaccination rollout plan as well – spanning over four phases.
“We need to remember our risk remains high right now, even as we protect more and more people with vaccines. We are not at the point where we can lift restrictions in our community or long-term care,” reads the joint statement.
Island Health
According to the latest data provided by Island Health, there are currently 194 active cases on Vancouver Island – a decrease of seven from Jan. 22
Of the active cases, 21 (-1) are on southern Vancouver Island, 152 (-5) on central Vancouver Island and 21 (-1) on northern Vancouver Island.
Southern Vancouver Island includes the Greater Victoria region, Southern Gulf Islands and the Port Renfrew area.
Central Vancouver Island includes the Cowichan Valley, Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville, Port Alberni and Tofino areas.
Northern Vancouver Island goes from the Comox Valley to Port Hardy but also includes surrounding areas like Alert Bay and Sointula.
Over the course of the pandemic, the Island Health region has reported 1,385 cases.
More COVID-19 information
If there is a confirmed COVID-19 case in a school, public health contacts affected school community members directly. Regional health authorities also post-school notifications on their websites, providing the date and type of notification (outbreak, cluster or exposure) for impacted schools.
The Island Health school site can be found here.
Provincial mental health and anxiety support can be found at www.bouncebackbc.ca
Island Health’s COVID-19 data breaks down North, Central and South Island case counts and lists the number of days since any new lab-diagnosed cases. You can find the data here along with any public exposures.
According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide is more than 98 million. More than 2.1 million deaths have been recorded.
Graham Cox
