B.C. adds 706 cases, 4 deaths in latest COVID-19 update
B.C.'s Ministry of Health announced 706 additional cases of COVID-19 and four related deaths on Thursday.
There have now been 177,186 confirmed cases and 1,877 deaths since the pandemic began.
Most new infections continue to be found in people who are not yet fully vaccinated. Between Sept. 8 and 14, 68.1 per cent of the 3,347 new coronavirus cases were among unvaccinated people, according to the ministry.
This is despite the fact that those who are unvaccinated - including children under age 12 who are not eligible - make up only about a quarter of the province's total population.
Among those who are eligible, 86.3 per cent had received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday, and 78.8 per cent had received both shots.
Thursday's update brings B.C.'s rolling seven-day average for new cases back below 700 for the first time since last week. The average stands at 693, down from 702 on Wednesday.
There are 5,844 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, a total that includes 291 people who are fighting the disease in hospital. Among the hospitalized, 134 are in intensive care.
Of the 390 coronavirus-related hospitalizations B.C. saw between Sept. 1 and 14, 81.5 per cent were people who are unvaccinated. Only 13.6 were fully vaccinated. The remaining 4.9 per cent were partially vaccinated, a number that likely reflects their small proportion of the population relative to the fully vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.
On Twitter, Health Minister Adrian Dix shared a breakdown of the vaccination status of people who are in intensive care, saying 93 per cent are not fully vaccinated.
Most of the new cases reported Thursday were in the Fraser Health and Interior Health regions, which saw 203 and 213 infections, respectively.
Elsewhere, Vancouver Coastal Health added 105 new cases on Thursday, Northern Health added 104, and Island Health added 81.
For context, though Fraser Health and Interior Health have seen similar numbers of new cases in recent weeks, Fraser Health has more than twice as many residents as Interior Health, meaning it has seen significantly fewer cases on a per-capita basis.
Similarly, though Vancouver Coastal Health and Northern Health saw similar raw numbers of cases on Thursday, the former has nearly 1.2 million residents, compared to the latter's 284,000.
Three of the four deaths announced Thursday were in Fraser Health, while the fourth was in Northern Health.
The health ministry also announced one new outbreak at Menno Terrace East, an assisted-living facility in Abbotsford. Fraser Health said Wednesday that two residents there had tested positive for COVID-19.
Two other outbreaks - at Nicola Meadows in Merritt and Rose Wood Village in Trail - have ended, leaving B.C. with 23 active outbreaks in its health-care system, according to the ministry.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.