9 COVID-19 deaths recorded Friday in B.C.'s deadliest day since February
B.C.'s Ministry of Health has announced 820 additional cases of COVID-19, as well as nine related deaths.
The nine deaths are the most reported in a 24-hour period since Feb. 25.
The latest cases bring B.C.'s seven-day rolling average for new infections up to 690.
There have now been 173,158 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,856 deaths in B.C. since the pandemic began.
Currently, there are 5,850 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. That includes 281 people who are battling the disease in hospital, 135 of them in intensive care units.
The largest share of the newly announced cases was found in the Fraser Health region, where 264 infections were reported.
Another 253 cases were found in Interior Health, which has been the hotspot of B.C.'s fourth wave of the pandemic.
Notably, though they've recorded similar numbers of new cases over the last few weeks, Fraser Health and Interior Health have vastly different populations. Fraser Health is home to more than twice as many people as Interior Health, meaning far fewer people are contracting the coronavirus in the Fraser Health region on a per-capita basis.
Elsewhere, Friday saw 112 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 101 in Northern Health and 90 in Island Health.
The nine deaths were reported across four different regions, with three in Vancouver Coastal Health, three in Interior Health, two in Northern Health and one in Island Health.
Health officials have blamed B.C.'s fourth wave on the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has spread especially rapidly through unvaccinated populations in the province.
Of the 4,661 COVID-19 infections reported between Sept. 2 and 8, 69.8 per cent were found in unvaccinated people. This, despite the fact that unvaccinated people make up less than a third of B.C.'s total population, and an even smaller percentage of those ages 12 and older who are eligible to be vaccinated.
As of Friday, 85.5 per cent of people in that eligible age group had received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 78 per cent had received both shots.
Beginning on Monday, proof of a first dose of vaccine will be required for participation in certain non-essential activities, including dining in restaurants and working out in gyms.
By Oct. 24, proof of full vaccination will be required in such settings. More information on the B.C. Vaccine Card that will serve as proof of vaccination for B.C. residents can be found here and on the provincial government website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.