Surge in infections: 342 new COVID-19 cases in B.C., most since late May
B.C. health officials announced 342 more cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the largest daily increase in the province's caseload since late May.
Half of the latest cases, 171, were in the Interior Health region, which has been driving the recent surge in infections in B.C.
Wednesday's numbers came in a written statement from the provincial Ministry of Health, and brought the rolling seven-day average of daily new cases detected in the province over 200 for the first time since early June.
The 342 new cases is the highest single-day total since May 27, when B.C. saw 378 new infections.
No new deaths were reported Wednesday. Since the pandemic began, there have been 150,973 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and 1,772 deaths.
There are currently 1,764 active cases of the coronavirus in B.C. Of that total, 55 people are in hospital, 23 of them in intensive care.
Most of the active cases - 945 of them - are in Interior Health, where officials recently declared an outbreak and reimposed mandatory mask-wearing in the Central Okanagan local health area.
Elsewhere in the province, Fraser Health added 66 new cases on Wednesday, Vancouver Coastal Health added 57, Island Health added 32 and Northern Health added 13.
Three new infections reported Wednesday were found in people who normally reside outside Canada.
The Ministry of Health does not provide information in its daily case updates on how many people who tested positive have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Asked last week whether the province would start providing that information, Health Minister Adrian Dix told reporters it's reported differently within the provincial system and not easy to put out on a daily basis.
Health officials have repeatedly said that the vast majority of cases seen in the province are among unvaccinated people, with only about four per cent of infections coming in people who have had both shots and the necessary time to develop antibodies after the second.
The recent surge has largely been driven by Interior Health, where vaccination rates are lower. Experts have also pointed to the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus as a reason for the surge.
Three new outbreaks of COVID-19 have recently been declared in care homes in the Interior Health region, according to Wednesday's update.
Those outbreaks are at Kootenay Street Village in Cranbrook and Cottonwoods Care Centre and Brookhaven Care Centre, both in Kelowna.
The number of outbreaks in long-term care homes in B.C. has plummeted since the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines began in late December of last year.
As of Wednesday, 81.5 per cent of eligible people ages 12 and older had received at least a first dose of vaccine in B.C., and 67.9 per cent of that age group had received a second shot.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.