COVID-19 update: B.C. adds 326 cases, 1 death as Omicron count rises
The B.C. government announced 326 new cases of COVID-19 and one related death on Tuesday, shortly after confirming several additional cases of the Omicron variant.
The update from the Ministry of Health caused the province's seven-day average for infections to decrease slightly to 346 per day, while the seven-day average for related deaths remained at about four per day.
The number of infectious COVID-19 patients in hospital, which reached a three-month low of 241 on Monday, increased by one. The number of those patients in intensive care fell to 82, down from 89.
Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that four more Omicron cases were identified over the weekend, bringing B.C.'s total to five.
All of the cases are related to international travel, and involve people between the ages of 18 and 60. Three cases were identified in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, and the other two were found in the Fraser Health region.
Henry said there are also a number of "suspect and pending" cases that are likely to be confirmed as Omicron soon.
"That is not a surprise," she added. "As we've said, once we start to look for it, it is likely that we are going to find it. We know this virus travels quickly and it travels in people and when people move the virus strains move with them."
Officials said they will be providing information on new Omicron cases in daily COVID-19 updates going forward, as well as at Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix's weekly briefings on Tuesdays.
While researchers are still working to confirm how Omicron's mutations impact transmissibility, severity of disease and possible vaccine resistance, Henry and Dix have both stressed that getting as many people as possible immunized against COVID-19 is a top priority. Decreasing the spread gives the virus fewer chances to mutate.
The unvaccinated still account for the majority of B.C.'s infections and related hospitalizations, despite representing a dwindling minority of the provincial population. They made up 54.7 per cent of all cases identified from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, and 59.3 per cent of hospitalizations between Nov. 22 and Dec. 5.
The unvaccinated only represent about 17 per cent of the province's overall population, including babies, toddlers and children under five who are too young for any of the approved vaccines.
As of Tuesday, 85.6 per cent of eligible B.C. residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 82 per cent have received two.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.