COVID-19 update: B.C. adds 379 cases, 6 deaths as hospitalizations fall
Another 379 cases of COVID-19 and six related deaths have been recorded in British Columbia, the government announced Wednesday along with another drop in coronavirus hospitalizations.
There have now been 221,235 COVID-19 infections and 2,369 related deaths confirmed across the province since the start of the pandemic, according to the Ministry of Health.
B.C.'s seven-day average for new cases, which recently levelled off after declining for weeks, remained at 347 per day after Wednesday's update. The seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths also remained at about four per day.
But the number of infectious coronavirus patients in hospital decreased to 224, which is a new three-month low and represents a 20 per cent drop from one week ago. The number of those patients in intensive care also fell to 77, down from 82 on Tuesday.
So far, 85.8 per cent of eligible B.C. residents age five and up have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 82.1 per cent have received at least two. More than 39,000 children between the ages of five and 11 have received a shot since becoming eligible last month.
The province has also given out tens of thousands of third doses so far to combat waning immunity and increase protection for vulnerable groups.
Earlier on Wednesday, there was encouraging news from Pfizer, which said that laboratory tests have found three doses are capable of neutralizing the concerning new Omicron variant.
Unvaccinated B.C. residents still make up more than half of the province's COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, despite representing less than 18 per cent of the population, including babies, toddlers and children who are too young for any of the approved vaccines.
The unvaccinated account for 55.3 per cent of cases recorded from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, and 64.5 per cent of hospitalizations from Nov. 23 to Dec. 6, according to the Ministry of Health.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.