COVID-19 update: B.C. adds just 29 cases as province prepares for Step 3

Dual COVID-19 testing swab kits are seen in Oakville, Ont., on Monday, June 8, 2020. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Vancouver -

British Columbia reported just 29 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, marking the lowest single-day increase in infections since early August.

The good news update came shortly after B.C. Premier John Horgan announced the province has made enough progress vaccinating residents and limiting COVID-19 transmission to enter Step 3 of the government's restart plan on Canada Day.

"British Columbians have stepped up every step of the way during this pandemic," Horgan said. "I'm so proud, so proud to be a British Columbian based on how all of us have responded over the past 16 months."

Step 3 will mean the lifting of several major restrictions, including the provincial mask mandate and the limits on indoor and outdoor personal gatherings.

B.C. has now recorded a total of 147,578 coronavirus cases and 1,754 related deaths since the start of the pandemic. Health officials had no new COVID-19 fatalities to report on Tuesday.

The last time the province identified fewer than 30 infections in one 24-hour reporting period was on Aug. 4, when there were 28 cases announced.

Active cases fell to 876, a drop of 54 from Monday. The number of people battling COVID-19 in hospital increased slightly to 110, while the number of patients in intensive care decreased to 34.

The province has now administered 4,941,795 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines, including enough first doses to cover about 78 per cent of B.C. adults. Nearly one-in-three adults have already received both shots.