COVID-19 update: B.C. adds 605 cases, 4 deaths
B.C. added 605 new cases of COVID-19 to its total on Wednesday, along with four new deaths.
The latest numbers bring the province to 195,186 confirmed cases and 2,033 deaths since the pandemic began.
There are now 5,172 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 374 people who are hospitalized, 153 of them in intensive care and still infectious.
After a long weekend that saw one of the lowest single-day totals for new coronavirus infections in B.C. in two months, the province's seven-day rolling average for new cases has declined to 580, the lowest it's been since Aug. 21.
Infection and hospitalization rates remain high, however, and on Tuesday health officials pleaded with unvaccinated residents - particularly in Northern Health - to get immunized.
As of Wednesday, 88.9 per cent of people 12 and older in B.C. had received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 82.7 per cent had received both shots.
Though they make up a small proportion of the province's total population, unvaccinated people continue to make up the majority of new infections.
From Oct. 5 through 11, unvaccinated people accounted for 61.1 per cent of the 4,206 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C.
Similarly, those who are unvaccinated accounted for 66.2 per cent of the 346 new hospitalizations in the province between Sept. 28 and Oct. 11.
Most of the new cases reported Wednesday were in the Fraser Health region, which saw 245 new infections.
Elsewhere, there were 119 new cases in Interior Health, 92 in Island Health, 82 in Vancouver Coastal Health, and 67 in Northern Health.
On a per-capita basis, however, Northern Health continues to have the highest infection rate. The region added 22.3 new cases per 100,000 residents in Wednesday's update, compared to 14.6 in Interior Health, 12.7 in Fraser Health, 10.7 in Island Health and 6.6 in Vancouver Coastal Health.
Three of the deaths reported Wednesday were in Northern Health, while the fourth was in Island Health.
Wednesday's update also saw a COVID-19 outbreak declared at Tofino General Hospital.
The outbreak at The Residence in Mission was declared over, leaving the province with a total of 19 active outbreaks, including 16 in long-term care and assisted-living facilities.
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.
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.
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.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
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.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
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.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.