VANCOUVER -- B.C. health officials announced 572 newly detected cases of COVID-19 and no related deaths on Wednesday.
The updates, provided in a written statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, bring the province's rolling seven-day average for daily new cases to 719, continuing a downward trend that has been ongoing for weeks.
Wednesday's update also brought B.C.'s active caseload below 7,000 for the first time since March 29. There are currently 6,877 active cases in the province.
Hospitalizations have also declined, though they remain near record highs. There are currently 481 people in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C., and 161 of those are in intensive care.
Since the pandemic began, B.C. has seen a total of 132,925 cases of COVID-19 and 1,594 related deaths.
The total number of deaths has been adjusted from the 1,597 reported Tuesday "due to a data correction," according to Henry and Dix.
"Our condolences are with the family, friends and caregivers of the people who have died as a result of COVID-19," the pair said in their statement.
They also announced the ends of coronavirus outbreaks at two long-term care facilities: Craigdarroch Care Home in Victoria and Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert.
B.C. has now administered 1,943,230 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, 93,656 of which are second doses.
The 1,849,574 first-doses administered so far are enough to provide a dose to roughly 36 per cent of the province's total population.
Dix and Henry said the province is "accelerating" its delivery of vaccines now that more supply - particularly of the Pfizer vaccine - has begun arriving.
On Wednesday, Health Canada announced that it had approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in people as young as age 12. B.C.'s health authorities will now be adding people ages 12 to 17 to the vaccine rollout plan, Henry and Dix said.
“As more people become eligible and more vaccines are approved, we will continue to update our provincewide program, including integrating people 12 to 17 years old, now that the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine has been approved for use in this age group," they said.
The health officials encouraged everyone in B.C. to register to get a COVID-19 vaccine and book an appointment as soon as they become eligible.
They also encouraged people to share the news of their vaccination when it happens.
“Spread the word and share your vaccine-day photos to show your friends and family that you have helped to protect them," Dix and Henry said. “Getting vaccinated when it is our turn, using our layers of protection, staying small and local, and following all of the public health measures is what will see us through this storm.”
