British Columbia has reported 617 new cases of COVID-19 across the province in the last 24 hours with 18 additional deaths in that span.
Of the 617 new cases, 27 are linked to the Island Health region. Vancouver Island’s health authority has now announced 78 cases of COVID-19 over the last three days.
There are currently 6,118 active cases in British Columbia, while 8,755 residents remain under active public health monitoring.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says that 358 are in hospital currently with 75 people in critical care as a result of the virus.
On Thursday, there were 18 additional deaths related to the virus. This brings the provincial death total over the course of the pandemic to 988.
Since Wednesday’s numbers, there have been 139 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 320 in the Fraser Health region, 27 in the Island Health region, 81 in the Interior Health region, 49 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.
As of Thursday, the total number of cases in British Columbia over the course of the pandemic has been 56,632.
Dr. Henry notes that there have been no new health care facility outbreaks on Friday, while the outbreaks at Amenida Senior Community, North Peace Seniors Housing, Rotary Manor, Royal Arch Masonic Home and Tabor Home have been declared over.
“Long-term care outbreaks have been at the forefront of our minds and our hearts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each day, more of our seniors and Elders who live in these homes, as well as the people who care for them, are protected with the vaccine,” reads a joint statement from Dr. Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.
“As new COVID-19 cases continue to emerge in communities throughout the province, we must all recommit to our efforts to slow down transmission,”
There are now 48 active outbreaks in long-term care and assisted living and ten in acute care facilities.
Dr. Henry also said that 46,259 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in B.C.
Friday’s written statement comes one day after Dr. Henry extended the current provincial health orders that restrict gatherings, events and sporting activities across British Columbia.
“We can only do this through our collective commitment to stay local, only spend time with our immediate household outside of work or school, to respect one another by giving others the space to stay safe and ensuring we are wearing our masks in all indoor, public spaces,” said Dr. Henry and Dix.
“The provincial health officer’s orders on all gatherings and events will continue through to Feb. 5, 2021, at midnight. In addition to these orders, we also strongly recommend everyone limit their travel between communities and outside of the province unless it is absolutely essential for work or medical care.
The restrictions were initially slated to end on January 8.
“It is important to know your sustained efforts are saving lives. It will get us that much closer to the days without COVID-19.”
Island Health
According to the latest data provided by Island Health, there are currently 164 active cases on Vancouver Island, an increase of 12 since Jan. 7.
Of the new cases, 41 (-12) southern Vancouver Island, 96 (+23) on central Vancouver Island and 27 (+1) on northern Vancouver Island.
Island Health has now announced 78 cases of COVID-19 over the last three days.
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 1,080 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.
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 88.7 million. More than 1.91 million deaths have been recorded.
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