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
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.