B.C. adds 497 cases as Canada approves 1st COVID-19 vaccine for kids

Vancouver -

B.C. has added 497 new cases of COVID-19 and three related deaths over the last 24 hours, according to the provincial Ministry of Health.

The update comes on the same day that Health Canada announced its approval of Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose vaccine for children ages five to 11. The vaccine will be a smaller dose that what's given to those aged 12 and older.

In a joint statement released by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, the two said they "look forward to making the pediatric vaccine available for 360,000 young British Columbians as soon as possible."

The latest cases bring the province to 214,636 confirmed infections since the pandemic began, and 2,293 confirmed deaths.

The rolling seven-day average for new cases ticked up slightly, from 410 on Thursday to 414 on Friday.

There are currently 3,420 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., according to the ministry.

That total includes 358 infectious patients in hospital, 109 of them in intensive care units.

The largest share of Friday's new infections were found in the Interior Health region, where 146 new cases were confirmed.

Elsewhere, Fraser Health added 138 cases, Northern Health added 78, Island Health added 71 and Vancouver Coastal Health added 64.

Accounting for each region's population, Northern Health saw the most coronavirus transmission over the last 24 hours, adding 26 new infections per 100,000 residents.

Per-capita rates for the other four health authorities follow.

• Interior Health: 17.9 per 100,000
• Island Health: 8.3 per 100,000
• Fraser Health: 7.1 per 100,000
• Vancouver Coastal Health: 5.2 per 100,000

The three deaths reported Friday were in Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Northern Health.

The ministry doesn't report on the vaccination status of those who die from COVID-19 complications, but the B.C. Centre for Disease Control releases such data in its weekly data summary. 

Of the 181 deaths between Oct. 9 and Nov. 5, 47 per cent were among fully vaccinated people, 3 per cent were among the partially vaccinated, and 50 per cent were among the unvaccinated.

The BCCDC attributes the relatively high percentage of deaths among fully vaccinated people to the fact that a large proportion of all COVID-19-related deaths are among people ages 80 and older, more than 90 per cent of whom are fully vaccinated.

According to the province, unvaccinated people are 47 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than vaccinated people of the same age. They're also 57 times more likely to be hospitalized and 10 times more likely to contract COVID-19 in the first place.

As of Friday, 90.8 per cent of eligible B.C. residents ages 12 and older had received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 87 per cent of that age group had received both shots.