Final COVID-19 update of the week includes 13 deaths in just 24 hours in B.C.
B.C. is reporting 667 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 new deaths.
The numbers, which cover the last 24-hour period, came Friday afternoon in a statement from the Ministry of Health, in what is expected to be the last case update of the week.
Friday's cases bring the rolling average down to 563, from 574 on Thursday. It's the seventh straight day that the average has declined. The last time it rose was when it hit 671 on Oct. 8, a slight increase from 667 the day before.
Two of the deaths were in the Interior Health region and the other 11 were in Fraser Health.
The province also reported one new COVID-19 outbreak at a health-care facility. That outbreak, at GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel, is in the province’s Northern Health region. The rural region is seeing high COVID-19 case spread and its intensive care units have been overwhelmed.
One COVID-19 outbreak, at Good Samaritan Delta View Care Centre in Fraser Health authority, was declared over. There are 19 other active outbreaks in health-care settings, according to the ministry.
The new cases means there are now 5,128 active cases of COVID-19. Of the active cases, 367 people are in hospital, 152 of whom are in intensive care. The number of people in B.C. who have recovered from COVID-19 is now 188,851.
As of Friday, 89 per cent of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose, the same percentage reported on Thursday. Despite the fact that the percentage remains the same, an additional 3,314 people received their first dose of the vaccine over the one-day period – it just wasn’t enough to bump the percentage count up. And, 83.7 per cent of eligible residents have received two doses, an increase from 82.9 per cent on Thursday.
Of the new cases, 246 are in Fraser Health, 184 are in Northern Health, 75 in Vancouver Coastal Health, and 59 in Island Health, and 101 in Interior Health.
Notably, however, Fraser Health has more than six times the population of Northern Health, meaning the northern region added far more cases per capita than Fraser Health – or the province’s other three health regions.
To address the spread of COVID-19 in Northern Health, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced new restrictions on Thursday as the region’s hospitals were overwhelmed.
As of Friday, personal gatherings – whether indoor or outdoor – are restricted to fully vaccinated people in parts of Northern B.C.
"If you are unvaccinated or have unvaccinated people in your households, then you need to stay with your household only," Henry said when speaking to the Northern Health measures.
Correction
A previous version of this story said 11 deaths were recorded in Interior Health when it was in fact two, according to provincial data.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.