B.C. reports 165 COVID-19 cases after officials indicate province on track for Step 2
British Columbia added 165 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, continuing a downward trend that's put the province on track to relax more restrictions soon.
B.C.'s rolling weekly average for coronavirus cases has dropped to 175 per day, down from a record high of 1,130 back in April – progress that health officials have credited to the province's immunization program.
"It is very encouraging to see a steady increase in the number of people in our province who are protected with a COVID-19 vaccine," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint written statement.
"There is so much to gain from the progress we are making, so let’s keep pushing to get as many people as possible fully vaccinated as soon as we can."
Just over 74 per cent of B.C. adults have now received at least one dose of vaccine, as have about 72 per cent of those 12 and older. A total of 3,685,240 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered across the province so far, including 345,508 second doses.
The government set a target of getting 65 per cent of adults partially vaccinated before entering Step 2 of B.C.'s restart plan, which includes more intraprovincial travel and bigger outdoor gatherings. But there are other criteria as well, including declining transmission and hospitalizations.
The number of people battling COVID-19 in hospital increased slightly on Tuesday to 203, with 57 patients in intensive care. B.C.'s active caseload dropped to 2,051, which is the lowest its been since Oct. 23.
On Monday, health officials indicated that B.C. was making the progress necessary to ease more restrictions, which will be happening on June 15 at the earliest.
The province has now recorded a total of 145,695 COVID-19 cases and 1,722 related deaths since the start of the pandemic. Officials had no new fatalities to report Tuesday.
Of all cases identified so far, some 141,879 – or 97 per cent – have recovered.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6968345.1721304526!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly visiting China
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is visiting China, according to China’s foreign ministry, in what was an unannounced trip.
Former safety minister wants 'protective zones' for MPs' offices as threats increase
Former public safety minister Marco Mendicino is calling for the creation of 'protective zones' around political constituency offices to shield members of Parliament and their staff from a rising tide of threatening behaviour.
RNC takeaways: Biden isn't the only older man keeping health details under wraps
Republicans welcomed JD Vance as Donald Trump's running mate on the same night devoted to blasting U.S. President Joe Biden's leadership on the world stage. Here are some takeaways from Day 3 of the RNC.
BREAKING Two listeriosis deaths in Ontario linked to plant-based milk recall: MOH
Two deaths as a result of a listeriosis outbreak linked to a plant-based milk recall are in Ontario, provincial health officials confirmed Thursday.
Days after shooting, Trump to address Republican National Convention on final day
Days after Donald Trump was injured in a shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania, the former U.S. president is expected to address the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin.
Mississauga, Ont., nursing home evacuated of more than 100 residents amid flooding
First responders say it took nearly 12 hours to rescue more than 100 residents from a flooded Mississauga, Ont., long-term care home after torrential rain pummelled the Greater Toronto Area on Tuesday.
German police detain a suspected stalker ahead of a Taylor Swift concert
An American man who made threats against Taylor Swift on social media was detained ahead of her first concert in the German city of Gelsenkirchen and will be kept in custody until her shows there are over, police said Thursday.
John Deere ends support of 'social or cultural awareness' events, distances from inclusion efforts
Farm equipment maker John Deere says it will no longer sponsor 'social or cultural awareness' events, becoming the latest major U.S. company to distance itself from diversity and inclusion measures after being targeted by conservative backlash.
Rare photos reveal uncontacted tribe in Peruvian Amazon as loggers move in
Rare images of the Mashco Piro, an uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, were published on Tuesday by Survival International,