COVID-19 in B.C.: Hospitalizations fall to lowest level since September, but case average continues to rise
British Columbia has recorded 78 more cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health announced Wednesday.
It's the second day in a row that B.C. has added more than 75 new cases to its total, after nearly a month of recording fewer than that.
Wednesday's update brought the rolling seven-day average for new cases in the province up to 58 per day. The average had fallen as low as 35 earlier this month, after reaching a peak of 1,130 daily new cases in April.
There have now been 148,641 cases in the province since the pandemic began.
No more deaths were reported Wednesday, leaving B.C. at 1,763 coronavirus-related deaths overall.
There are now 729 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of those, 48 are in hospital, including 16 in intensive care units.
The last time there were more than 700 active cases of the coronavirus in B.C. was July 3.
In her last presentation on pandemic modelling, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry showed data suggesting B.C. was likely to see an increase in infections as its reopening plan progressed.
How large an increase the province saw would be determined by immunization rates and the number and intensity of social connections residents resumed.
As case counts have risen in recent days, hospitalizations have, so far, continued to fall. The 48 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday was the lowest total B.C. has seen since Sept. 10, 2020.
As of Wednesday, 80.1 per cent of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 55.6 per cent have received their second dose.
The province has administered a total of 6,297,149 doses of vaccine so far.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.