B.C. reports 2,550 weekend cases of COVID-19, says more measures coming

The B.C. government has announced more COVID-19 measures are coming after case numbers continued to surge over the weekend, with the province recording 2,550 infections over 72 hours.

Monday's update pushed B.C.'s seven-day average for coronavirus cases up to 742 per day, which is the highest it's been since September and more than double what it was just nine days ago.

The number of active cases in the province also increased to 5,435, a jump of more than 1,100 from Friday. The last time the active case count topped 5,000 was Oct. 24.

COVID-19 hospitalizations decreased slightly over the weekend, though officials have noted that is a lagging indicator, meaning trends tend to follow cases a number of days later. There are now 185 infectious coronavirus patients in hospital, including 77 in intensive care.

Three more people died in relation to COVID-19 over the weekend as well, the government said.

Officials did not provide an updated number of confirmed Omicron cases, which have been growing rapidly since B.C. confirmed its first infection late last month. The Ministry of Health said the latest total will be provided at a news conference with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on Tuesday.

The government will also "outline additional COVID-19 measures" during that event, the ministry said in a news release.

A raft of new restrictions designed to limit the spread of the highly contagious variant took effect Monday, limiting the number of guests allowed at personal gatherings and capping attendance at 50 per cent for venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or more.

The province also paused all sports tournaments, cancelled organized New Year's Eve gatherings, tightened the rules around the B.C. Vaccine Card, and once again banned restaurant patrons from mingling between tables.

"It is moving quickly and so must we," Henry said of the variant on Friday. "We need to slow the spread and ensure that our health-care system and our communities are protected."

The Ministry of Health did not offer any indication of what additional measures are being considered. Earlier in the day, Quebec announced that schools, bars and gyms are being closed as that province grapples with record case numbers.

So far, B.C.'s alarming increase in cases has not led to a corresponding spike in care home outbreaks, as it did while the Delta variant rose to dominance in the province. There are currently no active outbreaks in long-term care homes or assisted living facilities, according to the ministry's release.

Health officials have credited the booster shot program, which has resulted in more than 727,000 people receiving a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine so far, for helping to protect vulnerable seniors during the latest surge.

So far, 87.3 per cent of eligible B.C. residents age five and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 82.6 per cent have received two.