COVID-19 update: B.C. adds 742 cases over long weekend as seven-day average nears 200
British Columbia recorded another 742 cases of COVID-19 and one related death over the long weekend, health officials said Tuesday.
The latest numbers from the Ministry of Health pushed the province's rolling seven-day average for new infections to 196, up from 35 in early July. The last time B.C.'s average topped 200 cases per day was on June 5.
The average has already far surpassed the heights of the province's first wave of the pandemic, but remains far below the peak average of 1,130 daily cases recorded during the third wave in April.
Officials said 160 infections were identified from Friday to Saturday, followed by 196 from Saturday to Sunday, 185 from Sunday to Monday, and 201 from Monday to Tuesday.
Of the total, 395 cases came from B.C.'s Interior Health region, which has been experiencing a unique surge in COVID-19 transmission. The increase recently prompted officials to declare an outbreak in the Central Okanagan and re-impose a local mask mandate.
B.C.'s active caseload increased to 1,544 on Tuesday, which is up more than 300 from the end of last week and the highest that figure has been since June 13. The majority of those – 847 cases – are in Interior Health, compared to 348 in Fraser Health and 212 in Vancouver Coastal Health.
Only 42 and 24 of the active cases are in the Island Health and Northern Health regions, respectively.
The number of coronavirus patients in hospital also increased to 53, including 19 in intensive care.
Meanwhile, another 128,063 shots of COVID-19 vaccine were administered over the B.C. Day long weekend, the vast majority going to second doses.
The Ministry of Health said 81.4 per cent of eligible residents age 12 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, up just 0.3 percentage points from Friday. The number who have received both shots increased to 67.3 per cent, up from 64.9 per cent.
A total of 6,902,320 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines have been given out across B.C. so far, 3,121,311 of which have been second doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.