B.C.’s COVID-19 fourth wave continues, 641 new cases

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The fourth wave of COVID-19 in B.C. continues, as the province records 641 new cases Tuesday.

Interior Health has again recorded the most new cases, with 273. Fraser Health recorded 149 new cases, with 125 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health.

There were no new deaths in the last 24 hours.

There are now currently 138 people hospitalized with COVID-19 up from 133 Monday, and 78 in intensive care, down from 80 Monday.

Twelve active outbreaks continue, however the KinVillage West Court (Fraser Health) outbreak has been declared over.

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As of Tuesday, there are 5,357 active cases of COVID-19 across the province.

From Aug. 9 to 22, 83.4 per cent of cases and 85.6 per cent of hospitalizations were in people who were not yet fully vaccinated.

In addition, almost 85 per cent of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose, and just over 76 per cent have received their second dose.

The rise in cases come as the province announced Tuesday a renewed mask mandate for indoor public spaces, including places such as malls, public transit, as well as pubs and bars.

The province also announced masks would be required in schools for students in Grades 4 – 12 as well as all teachers and staff.

B.C. lifted its previous mask mandate in July, and the province was expected to move to the next step in its Restart Plan in September.

The premier said Monday those plans for a return to normal are now ‘unlikely.’