B.C. COVID-19 update: 9 deaths, more than 300 new cases announced

Vancouver -

Nine more people have died from COVID-19 complications in B.C. over the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health.

The nine deaths came alongside 322 new confirmed cases announced in a written statement on Wednesday.

The latest numbers bring B.C. to 3,015 active cases of the coronavirus, the lowest total the province has seen since Aug. 8.

The rolling seven-day average for new cases dropped slightly, from 381 to 380 per day.

There are 318 infectious coronavirus patients in B.C. hospitals, and 109 of them are in intensive care, according to the ministry.

There have now been 216,334 confirmed COVID-19 infections in B.C. since the pandemic began, and 2,313 related deaths.

Five of the nine deaths confirmed Wednesday were in Northern Health, three were in Vancouver Coastal Health and one was in Interior Health.

Fraser Health added the largest share of Wednesday's cases, with 100 new infections confirmed in the region. On a per-capita basis, however, the Interior and Northern health authorities had more COVID-19 transmission over the last 24 hours.

• Interior Health added 86 new cases, for a rate of 10.5 per 100,000 residents
• Vancouver Coastal Health added 50 cases, or 4 per 100,000
• Northern Health added 44 cases, or 14.7 per 100,000
• Island Health added 42 cases, or 4.9 per 100,000

Fraser Health's per-capita rate was 5.2 per 100,000.

Despite making up a small portion of B.C.'s overall population, unvaccinated people continue to make up the majority of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the province.

They accounted for 54 per cent of the 2,663 new infections B.C. recorded between Nov. 16 and 22, and 61.5 per cent of the 299 new hospitalizations between Nov. 9 and 22.

Many of the unvaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19 are children under the age of 12, who were ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines in Canada until earlier this month.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that children under age 12 make up approximately 20 per cent of B.C.'s cases, despite representing about 10 per cent of the population. 

About 91,000 of the 360,000 children ages five to 11 in B.C. had been registered to get a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday, when the province unveiled its plans for rolling out vaccines to that age group. 

Among B.C. residents ages 12 and older, 91 per cent had received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday, and 87.4 per cent had received two doses.