Eight new COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island as daily mark in B.C. drops below 500

British Columbia is reporting 494 new cases of COVID-19 for the entire province with two additional deaths in that span.

Of the 494 new cases, eight are linked to the Island Health region.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says that 387 are in hospital – a decrease of 26 since May 13 – with 157 people in critical care as a result of the virus (an increase of 16). There are currently 5,548 active cases in British Columbia

Since Thursday’s numbers, there have been 140 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 288 in the Fraser Health region, eight in the Island Health region, 33 in the Interior Health region, 25 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

There were seven additional deaths related to the virus on Friday. This brings the provincial death total over the course of the pandemic to 1,634.

Also as of Friday, the total number of cases in British Columbia over the course of the pandemic has reached 138,304.

Health officials also said, to date, 2,393,265 doses of all three COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the province, 124,880 of which are second doses.

“Today, anyone 25 and older can book their vaccine and by the end of the weekend, all adults 18 and older across B.C. will be eligible. Don’t wait until you are eligible to book. Rather, take two minutes today to register in advance to fast-track your appointment booking.

For British Columbians to register, they can either phone a provincial call-centre between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. PT at 1 833 838-2323, visit the nearest Service BC location or go online to https://gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated.

“As we have seen, our vaccines are working. They are protecting those who are highest risk and as everyone gets vaccinated, they will protect you and the people around you, too.

Island Health

According to the latest data provided by Island Health, there are currently 149 active cases on Vancouver Island.

Of the active cases, 66 are on southern Vancouver Island, 56 on central Vancouver Island and 27 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 4,875 cases.

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