B.C. reports 420 new COVID-19 cases in last update before long weekend

British Columbia is reporting 420 new cases of COVID-19 for the entire province with six additional deaths in that span.

Of the 420 new cases, seven are linked to the Island Health region.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says that 319 are in hospital – a decrease of 12 since May 20 – with 107 people in critical care as a result of the virus (a decrease of six). There are currently 4,507 active cases in British Columbia

Since Thursday’s numbers, there have been 84 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 240 in the Fraser Health region, seven in the Island Health region, 58 in the Interior Health region, 31 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

There were three additional deaths related to the virus on Thursday. This brings the provincial death total over the course of the pandemic to 1,667.

Also as of Thursday, the total number of cases in British Columbia over the course of the pandemic has reached 141,373.

Health officials also said, to date, 2,744,020 doses of all three COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the province, with 142,406 being second doses.

Friday’s update comes on the afternoon before the May long weekend, where travel restrictions remain in place across the province.

In a joint statement from Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, the duo continues to remind British Columbians to enjoy the time off while staying local.

“This long weekend is the time to stick with all of the public health orders and travel restrictions – staying small, staying local and getting registered for your vaccine if you have not already done so,” reads a statement.

“We need to keep pushing COVID-19 down to be able to safely turn the dial on the current restrictions. The only way we can do that is to keep using our safety layers and getting more and more people immunized.

A provincial restart plan is expected to be outlined on Tuesday, the day that the current travel restrictions and circuit breaker restrictions are set to be lifted.

Although nothing has been confirmed, Premier John Horgan has implied that the province will peel back the ban on indoor dining and provide a “roadmap” for the summer.

The government is saying at that point, residents will be able to start to plan accordingly. There are no changes for individuals or businesses until that time.

Island Health

According to the latest data provided by Island Health, there are currently 112 active cases on Vancouver Island.

Of the active cases, 34 are on southern Vancouver Island, 46 on central Vancouver Island and 32 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 4,950 cases.

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