COVID-19 update: B.C. adds 375 cases, 7 deaths
British Columbia has recorded another 375 cases of COVID-19 and seven related deaths, the government announced Wednesday amid ongoing monitoring for the concerning new Omicron variant.
The update, provided in a written statement from the Ministry of Health, pushed the province's seven-day average for infections to 353 per day, up from 345 on Tuesday.
B.C.'s active case count also increased, to 2,936 from 2,889, while the number of infectious COVID-19 patients in hospital remained relatively flat at 301. The number of those patients in intensive care dropped to 98, marking the first time it's been below 100 since Aug. 30.
The latest numbers were released as Canada's federal and provincial governments brace for the impact of the concerning new Omicron variant, which has already appeared in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
Experts have noted the variant has an alarmingly high number of mutations, though it remains unclear how they will affect transmissibility, severity of illness and possible vaccine resistance.
Alberta confirmed two more Omicron cases on Wednesday, while announcing expanded COVID-19 vaccine booster eligibility. B.C. has previously said the boosters, which are now being given to select vulnerable groups, will be made available to all adults in the new year.
British Columbia has so far confirmed just one Omicron case, in a Lower Mainland resident who recently travelled to Nigeria. More than 200 other recent travellers to Omicron-affected countries have been identified and told to isolate.
While the government is monitoring for additional cases with whole genome sequencing, it has not announced any province-specific measures in response to the emerging variant.
B.C. health officials have urged residents to maintain their layers of protection, including masks and hand-washing, as they head into the holiday season, and to consider only gathering indoors with people who are vaccinated.
"If you have elders or seniors or people whose immune systems are compromised, we need to protect them through this highest-risk transmission season," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
The federal government has already restricted travel from several southern African countries, and announced increased testing requirements for air travellers.
Earlier this week, B.C. began administering COVID-19 vaccines to children between the ages of five and 11, and 2,789 have received their first dose so far. Officials recently revealed unvaccinated children under the age of 12 have made up about 20 per cent of recent cases in the province, despite representing 10 per cent of the population.
A total of 84.8 per cent of eligible B.C. residents have received at least one vaccine dose, and 81.7 per cent have received two.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.