243 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. as surge in Interior continues
B.C.'s Ministry of Health has announced another 243 cases of COVID-19, most of them in the Interior Health region, where infections have been surging in recent days.
There are currently 1,231 active cases of the coronavirus in the province, and 693 of them are in Interior Health.
Relatively few people are in hospital, however. Forty-seven were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, including 16 people who were in intensive care.
There were no new deaths announced in Friday's update.
The latest numbers pushed B.C.'s rolling seven-day average for daily new infections to 150, and the 243 new cases represent the highest single-day total the province has recorded since late May.
Most of the latest cases - 131 - were recorded in Interior Health, where officials recently declared an outbreak in the Central Okanagan region and re-imposed mandatory mask rules.
Elsewhere in the province, Fraser Health added 56 cases in the latest update, Vancouver Coastal Health added 32, Island Health added 13 and Northern Health added nine. There were also two new cases detected in B.C. among people who normally reside outside Canada.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 149,889 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and 1,771 related deaths.
As of Friday, more than 3 million people in B.C. had received a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The province has now administered 6,774,257 doses of vaccines, overall.
That's enough to cover 81.1 per cent of eligible B.C. residents ages 12 and older with at least a first dose. Nearly 65 per cent (64.9 per cent) of people in that age group have received a second dose.
Speaking to reporters during a news conference on the ongoing heat wave Friday, Health Minister Adrian Dix described vaccination as critically important to the province's management of the coronavirus going forward.
"What we continue to see is that, overwhelmingly, our new cases of COVID-19 are amongst unimmunized people, and we have to assist them in getting immunized to the maximum possible degree," Dix said.
Asked whether the focus on immunization reflected an impending shift in the province's strategy similar to that underway in Alberta, Dix was adamant that no such change is forthcoming.
Alberta health officials recently announced that they would no longer be requiring people who test positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate, as of Aug. 16. Close contacts are no longer required to self-isolate as of this week.
"There is no plan, none, to change our approach to self-isolation with respect to COVID-19 in B.C.," Dix said Friday. "No plans, none, to change our approach to contact tracing. No plans, none, for public health not to be fully engaged, as they've been, in the COVID-19 pandemic."
B.C.'s focus on encouraging as much immunization as possible will continue alongside mitigation efforts such as self-isolation, contact tracing and targeted restrictions like the reinstated mask mandate in the Central Okanagan, Dix said.
He added that blaming people who have not yet been vaccinated for spreading the virus is not helpful. Answering their questions and encouraging them to get their shots is, he said.
"There's a lot of desire, I know, to take an us versus them approach," Dix said. "But this is only us."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.