COVID-19 update: B.C. adds 742 cases over long weekend as seven-day average nears 200
British Columbia recorded another 742 cases of COVID-19 and one related death over the long weekend, health officials said Tuesday.
The latest numbers from the Ministry of Health pushed the province's rolling seven-day average for new infections to 196, up from 35 in early July. The last time B.C.'s average topped 200 cases per day was on June 5.
The average has already far surpassed the heights of the province's first wave of the pandemic, but remains far below the peak average of 1,130 daily cases recorded during the third wave in April.
Officials said 160 infections were identified from Friday to Saturday, followed by 196 from Saturday to Sunday, 185 from Sunday to Monday, and 201 from Monday to Tuesday.
Of the total, 395 cases came from B.C.'s Interior Health region, which has been experiencing a unique surge in COVID-19 transmission. The increase recently prompted officials to declare an outbreak in the Central Okanagan and re-impose a local mask mandate.
B.C.'s active caseload increased to 1,544 on Tuesday, which is up more than 300 from the end of last week and the highest that figure has been since June 13. The majority of those – 847 cases – are in Interior Health, compared to 348 in Fraser Health and 212 in Vancouver Coastal Health.
Only 42 and 24 of the active cases are in the Island Health and Northern Health regions, respectively.
The number of coronavirus patients in hospital also increased to 53, including 19 in intensive care.
Meanwhile, another 128,063 shots of COVID-19 vaccine were administered over the B.C. Day long weekend, the vast majority going to second doses.
The Ministry of Health said 81.4 per cent of eligible residents age 12 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, up just 0.3 percentage points from Friday. The number who have received both shots increased to 67.3 per cent, up from 64.9 per cent.
A total of 6,902,320 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines have been given out across B.C. so far, 3,121,311 of which have been second doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.