VANCOUVER -- British Columbia has recorded another 456 cases of COVID-19 and two related deaths, health officials said Wednesday.
The province has now seen a total of 78,278 confirmed infections and 1,338 fatalities since the start of the pandemic.
In a joint written statement, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix offered condolences to "everyone who has lost loved ones to COVID-19."
B.C.'s active caseload, which has climbed by more than 500 cases over the last week, remained relatively static Wednesday at 4,668.
So did the province's rolling seven-day average for new cases, which increased slightly to 509 per day. That's the highest seven-day average B.C. has seen since Jan. 13.
There are 237 patients in hospital, 64 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining 4,431 people with COVID-19 across the province are at home in self-isolation, health officials said.
A total of 72,219 people who have tested positive for the disease have recovered.
The province has administered another 6,521 doses of COVID-19 vaccine over the last 24 hours, for a total of 230,875. That includes 62,608 second doses, the majority of which health officials said have gone to residents of long-term care homes and assisted living facilities.
Henry and Dix have promised to provide more information on the province's immunization rollout plans – including how and when seniors 80 years and older living independently can arrange for their vaccination – on Monday.
"Vaccinating our entire population is a monumental task that must account for the diversity of our geography and our population," they said. "We are pushing hard right now, and we must continue to balance speed with the need for careful thought and planning."
Health officials had no new outbreaks to declare on Wednesday, and said the outbreak at Creekside Landing has ended.
