COVID-19 update: 112 more cases, 4 more deaths announced in B.C.'s last update of the week

Vancouver -

Another 112 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in B.C., the province's health ministry announced Friday.

The last time B.C. recorded more than 100 cases in a single day was June 18, when 109 new cases were added to B.C.'s total. The latest figures increased B.C.'s seven-day rolling average to 73, 10 higher than it was on Thursday.

Six of the new cases are epidemiologically linked, the health ministry said.

While infection numbers have inched upward since the government relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, they're still a fraction of the alarming highs recorded at the peak of the province's third wave in April, when the rolling average reached 1,130 per day.

Officials also announced four more people died in the past 24 hours, an information bulletin from the province said. That means the number of coronavirus-related deaths recorded in B.C. stands at 1,767.

Active cases dropped dramatically on Friday, however. On Thursday, 781 people had been battling the disease, but by Friday, that number dropped to 603. Of the active cases, 46 people are in hospital and 17 in intensive care.

More than half of the new cases – 59 of them – were recorded in the Interior Health region. Thirty were in Fraser Health and 15 in Vancouver Coastal Health. Three more were in Northern Health and five were in the Island Health region.

As of Friday, 80.3 per cent of British Columbians aged 12 and older have received a first COVID-19 vaccine dose. In that same age group, 58.1 per cent have been fully vaccinated.

Since the start of the pandemic, 6,422,503 vaccine doses have been distributed in B.C., which is up more than 60,800 doses from the day before.

DATA CORRECTION

The province also announced a historical data correction Friday related to active cases. Officials said 239 historic cases were removed from B.C.'s total.

"This reflects B.C. residents who tested positive for COVID-19, but did not fall under the case and contact follow up program in their home health authorities," the health ministry's statement said.

"Examples include cases who tested positive while staying out of province, or who were under the federal quarantine program."