COVID-19 update: B.C. adds 229 cases, 3 deaths over the weekend
British Columbia identified 229 new cases of COVID-19 and suffered three related deaths over the weekend, while recording the lowest single-day increase in infections since August.
The province's seven-day average also dropped below 100 for the first time since Oct. 2, and the active caseload fell to 1,209 – the lowest it's been since Sept. 3.
Case numbers have continued to decline despite the relaxed COVID-19 rules the province began implementing four weeks ago, progress that health officials have largely credited to B.C.'s immunization program.
In a joint written statement, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix urged anyone who hasn't already received a first dose to book an appointment soon.
"Let’s remember that the virus is still circulating in communities, here in B.C. and in neighbouring provinces and territories," they wrote. "If you are planning a trip, ensure you are vaccinated before you go – it is your ticket to safe travel this summer."
The government has opened a number of drop-in clinics around the province, hoping the easy access will encourage more people to join the immunization effort.
The pace of first doses being administered in B.C. has slowed considerably over recent weeks. Of the 140,281 shots given out over the weekend, 112,030 were second doses.
B.C. has now administered 4,436,432 shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines combined, including enough first doses to cover 77 per cent of adults in the province.
Transmissions has already plummeted in many parts of B.C., though some hotspots remain. The Fraser Health Region accounted for 43 per cent of the cases detected over the weekend.
Overall, the province identified an average of 76 cases per day over the three 24-hour reporting periods beginning Friday afternoon. That includes 45 cases recorded from Sunday to Monday. The last time B.C. identified fewer than 46 infections in a day was Aug. 10.
COVID-19 hospitalizations fell to 108 – a drop of 20 from Friday – though the number of patients in intensive care remained steady at 48.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Drone footage shows Ukrainian village battered to ruins as residents flee Russian advance
The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Egypt media cite progress in truce talks as Israel downplays chances of end to war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in ongoing cease-fire talks with Israel while an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war.
Bystander livestreams during Charlotte standoff show an ever-growing appetite for social media video
Saing Chhoeun was locked out of his Charlotte, N.C., home on Monday as law enforcement with high-powered rifles descended into his yard and garage, using a car as a shield as they were met with a shower of gunfire from the direction of his neighbor's house.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.