B.C. records 1,079 weekend COVID-19 cases, five deaths

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – B.C. recorded 1,079 new COVID-19 infections over the weekend, with hospitalizations rising 30 per cent over Friday.

The number of new infections declined slightly over each of the past three days, with 422 on Saturday, 364 on Sunday, and 293 on Monday.

Of all the new cases, Interior Health recorded the most, with 587. The Central Okanagan, which is in that health authority, came under stricter COVID-19 restrictions Friday due to sharp rise in cases in that area.

Fraser Health recorded 258 cases over the weekend, while Vancouver Coastal Health saw 142. There were 62 in Island Health and 30 in Northern Health.

There are 68 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C., up from 52 on Friday. However, the number of COVID patients in the ICU is down from 24 to 20.

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Interior Health also has the most active cases, with 1,755 of the B.C. total of 3,036. By contrast, Fraser Health has 586 and Vancouver Coastal Health has 387. Island Health and Northern Health have 188 and 108, respectively. Another 12 cases are people who live outside of Canada.

There are seven active outbreaks: Holyrood Manor; Kin Village West Court (Fraser Health); Nelson Jubilee Manor; Kootenay Street Village; Cottonwoods Care Centre; Brookhaven Care Centre (Interior Health); and Discovery Harbour (Island Health).

Related video: New COVID-19 restrictions announced for the Central Okanagan

Last week, Henry said B.C. is “facing a wave of cases in the unvaccinated.” On Monday, the province reduced the minimum wait time between COVID-19 vaccine doses from 49 to 28 days.

The wait between doses was already cut down to 28 days in the Central Okanagan, which has been leading the surge in cases in B.C. Elsewhere, the interval was 49 days. Monday’s announcement makes the 28-day minimum in effect for the entire province.

Although 28 days will be the new minimum interval between doses, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says if you do not live in an area where there is a spike in cases, it’s recommended you wait at least six to eight weeks, as it will likely give you better protection.

As of Monday, 82 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received their first dose and 70.3 per cent have received both doses.