B.C. adds 531 new coronavirus cases, 19 in Island Health; AstraZeneca vaccine arrives

B.C. adds 531 new coronavirus cases, 19 in Island Health; AstraZeneca vaccine arrives
Government of B.C.

B.C. health officials are reporting another 531 cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, along with one new COVID-related death.

The active number of cases dropped to 4,861, while 9,051 people are under active health monitoring.

There are 19 new cases in the Island Health region, a day after the health authority reported just seven new cases.

Elsewhere, there are 147 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 291 new cases in Fraser Health, 42 in Interior Health and 32 in Northern Health.

Of the active cases, 244 people are in hospital with 66 of those in ICUs.

A total of 79,309 people in B.C. have recovered from COVID-19 while 355,340 doses of vaccine have been administered province-wide.

There are 51 new variant cases of the virus, bringing the total up to 627 cases since variants were first detected in B.C. Of those, the majority — 580 cases — involve the B.1.1.7 variant most commonly linked to the U.K. Thirty-three cases are of the B.1.351, or South African, variant, while 14 cases are of the P.1, or Brazil, variant.

In a news release, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix also touted the arrival of a shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine, which they said will help supplement immunization efforts.

“In particular, we will use this vaccine to assist with outbreak response in communities and within high-risk industries,” Dix and Henry said in a joint statement.

“What is important for all of us to remember is that 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 is still booking seniors over 90 and Indigenous people over 65 for COVID-19 vaccinations this week. Next week, those 85 and over will be able to start booking their appointments.

READ MORE: Telus apologizes for COVID-19 vaccine call centre failures

Those in the Island Health region can call 1-833-348-4787 to book their appointment at the following times, though Island Health says on its website that Mondays are busy and to try calling in the afternoon or evening.

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