494 COVID19 cases for Friday

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia:

“Today, we are reporting 494 new cases, including seven epi-linked cases, for a total of 138,304 cases in British Columbia.

“There are 5,548 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. A further 130,953 people who tested positive have recovered.

“Of the active cases, 387 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 141 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

“Since we last reported, we have had 140 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 288 new cases in the Fraser Health region, eight in the Island Health region, 33 in the Interior Health region, 25 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

“There have been 2 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,634 deaths in British Columbia. Our condolences are with the family, friends and caregivers of the people who have died as a result of COVID-19.

“2,393,265 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 124,880 of which are second doses.

“Today, anyone 25 and older can book their vaccine and by the end of the weekend, all adults 18 and older across B.C. will be eligible. Don’t wait until you are eligible to book. Rather, take two minutes today to register in advance to fast track your appointment booking.

“The fastest way to get your vaccine is to register. Anyone who is not registered should in one of three ways: through a provincial call-centre between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (Pacific time) at 1 833 838-2323, in person at the nearest Service BC location or online, 24-7, at: https://gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated

“As we have seen, our vaccines are working. They are protecting those who are highest risk and as everyone gets vaccinated, they will protect you and the people around you, too.

“As we go into the weekend, let’s remember that COVID-19 continues to circulate in our communities, so let’s keep our safety layers top of mind to get us through this pandemic, together.”