COVID-19 update: B.C. reports fewer than 200 cases for 2nd day in a row

Vancouver -

British Columbia reported 194 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, marking the second day in a row with fewer than 200 new infections.

Health officials also announced four deaths related to the novel coronavirus, bringing the province's death toll to 1,707.

In a joint written statement, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix offered condolences to the "family, friends and caregivers of the people who have died as a result of COVID-19."

The province's active caseload dropped to 2,662, the lowest it's been since Oct. 31, while the rolling weekly average for new infections fell to 254 per day, the lowest it's been since Oct. 29.

Hospitalizations decreased to 246, which includes 70 patients in intensive care.

A total of 3,365,286 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines have now been administered across B.C., including enough first doses for 71 per cent of adults in the province and 68 per cent of people 12 and older.

Only 208,145 have been second doses, though the number of people getting fully vaccinated has been ramping up. Dix said the 16,923 second doses administered since Tuesday represents the biggest single-day increase in second shots so far in B.C.'s immunization program.

Government officials are watching case numbers, hospitalizations and the vaccination rate as they determine when the province can relax more of its COVID-19 restrictions, including the limits on non-essential travel.

And while those numbers have been trending in the right direction, Henry and Dix said it's important that British Columbians continue following the current rules and guidelines.

"Let’s keep going on this path – following the restrictions that remain in place, continuing to use our layers of protection and ensuring we are fully vaccinated to give all of us maximum protection," they said.

In total, the province has identified 144,667 cases since the start of the pandemic, and 140,238 of the people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.