COVID-19 vaccines: B.C.'s dose numbers surpass 4.5 million, include more than a million 2nd shots
First-dose vaccine numbers in British Columbia have risen to above 75 per cent of the eligible population, with second-shot totals hovering near 25 per cent.
A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says the increasing vaccine numbers allow for the gradual and safe reopening of the province with the lifting of more restrictions.
It says more than 4.5 million doses of vaccine have been delivered in total, and of those, slightly over one million were second shots.
There are 87 new COVID-19 cases across B.C., with no new cases in the Northern Health region and three new cases on Vancouver Island.
There has been one new death, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 1,744 people.
The statement says all vaccines available in B.C., including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca, are safe and effective and they significantly reduce the number of people getting seriously ill with COVID-19.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.