COVID-19 update: 5 more deaths as B.C. adds 774 new cases
B.C.'s Ministry of Health announced 774 more COVID-19 infections on Thursday, as well as five related deaths.
The latest numbers bring B.C.'s seven-day rolling average for new cases to 669, down slightly from the previous day.
There are currently 5,594 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., a total that includes 262 people who are hospitalized with the disease. There are 130 people in intensive care units.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 172,338 confirmed coronavirus cases in B.C. and 1,847 people have died.
Most of the latest infections were found in the Interior Health and Fraser Health regions, which recorded 253 and 233 new cases, respectively.
Notably, though the regions' new caseloads have been similar in recent weeks, Fraser Health has more than double the population of Interior Health, meaning far fewer people are contracting the coronavirus in the Fraser Health region on a per-capita basis.
Elsewhere, Vancouver Coastal Health saw 123 new infections, Northern Health saw 98 and Island Health recorded 65. Two of the new cases announced Thursday were found in people who normally reside outside Canada.
Of the five deaths announced Thursday, three were in Fraser Health, one in Island Health and one in Northern Health.
For weeks, health officials have described B.C.'s fourth wave of COVID-19 cases as a "pandemic of the unvaccinated."
As of Thursday, 85.3 per cent of eligible British Columbians ages 12 and older in the province have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 77.8 per cent of that age group has received both shots.
Though unvaccinated people represent a relatively small portion of the province's total population, they continue to account for the majority of new infections and hospitalizations.
Of the 4,694 cases recorded in B.C. from Sept. 1 to 7, unvaccinated people accounted for 70.2 per cent of them, according to the health ministry.
During the same period, the province recorded 301 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated residents, compared to roughly 85 per 100,000 partially vaccinated residents and just 26 per 100,000 fully vaccinated residents.
The per-100,000 figures are adjusted for age, according to the ministry.
Hospitalizations and intensive care admissions for COVID-19 in B.C. follow a similar pattern. Earlier in the day Thursday, Health Minister Adrian Dix shared a breakdown of ICU cases by age and vaccination status, saying that of the 130 people currently in intensive care with the coronavirus, 111 of them are unvaccinated.
Everyone who is under age 50 and is in intensive care with COVID-19 in B.C. is unvaccinated, Dix said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.