COVID-19 update: B.C. marks full week with fewer than 100 daily cases

Fraser Health licensed practical nurse Femia Gabiana, second right, administers a first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to a woman at a walk-up vaccination clinic at Bear Creek Park, in Surrey, B.C., on Monday, May 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Vancouver -

Health officials in B.C. announced 72 new cases of COVID-19 Friday in their final update of the week.

It's now been a full week since the province last recorded more than 100 new infections in a single day, and the rolling seven-day average for new cases has dropped to 74.

The last time the rolling average was below 75 was on Aug. 15. That date also marked the last time B.C. went seven days or more with fewer than 100 cases.

Before Aug. 15, the province had never recorded more than 100 cases in a single day. Since then, B.C. hasn't been below 100 cases for seven consecutive days until now. 

There are currently 1,096 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, according to a written statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Of those, 108 people are fighting the coronavirus in hospital, and 37 of them are in intensive care units.

Henry and Dix also announced two deaths related to the disease on Friday, and offered their condolences to the families, friends and caregivers of those who have died as a result of COVID-19.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 147,418 cases of the coronavirus in B.C., and 1,749 people have died.

More than 76 per cent of eligible B.C. residents ages 12 and older have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, more than one-quarter of eligible British Columbians in that age group are now fully vaccinated.

B.C. has administered 4,703,549 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines in total, and 1,167,117 of those are second doses.

Though B.C.'s vaccination rates are climbing and the province's daily caseloads are dropping, the virus continues to circulate, and outbreaks continue to occur.

On Friday, Henry and Dix announced an outbreak at Laurel Place in Surrey. In a separate news release earlier in the day, Fraser Health indicated that four people in the facility's high-intensity rehabilitation unit had tested positive for COVID-19, and transmission is believed to have occurred at the site. 

With B.C. in the midst of a record-setting heat wave that is expected to intensify over the weekend, Dix and Henry took time in their statement to urge people to be mindful of heat-related health concerns.

“This weekend, with the anticipated extreme hot weather throughout the province, we remind everyone in British Columbia to stay cool and hydrated, whether you will be going to a vaccine clinic or spending time with friends and family outside," the pair said in their statement.

They also noted that some pop-up vaccine clinic locations have been moved due to heat concerns, and urged people to double-check that their vaccination site hasn't changed.

“Just as we have taken care of our neighbours, seniors and elders during the COVID-19 pandemic, they may also need some assistance this weekend," Henry and Dix said. "Let’s continue to support each other with kindness and compassion, and help our friends and family get their vaccines safely.”