BC. records 457 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths

B.C. has recorded 457 new cases of COVID0-19, and two more people have died, according to an update from provincial health officials Tuesday.

One of the people who passed away lived in Fraser Health, which continues to lead the province in new infections with 176. The other death was in Northern Health, which saw 82 new cases. There were 83 cases in Interior Health, 61 in Vancouver Coastal, and 55 in Island Health.

The province-wide immunization rate for eligible British Columbians continues to creep toward 85 per cent, with 84.5 per cent of people 12 and over having received both shots. The per cent of those eligible who have received one dose is 89.6

There are 390 people in the hospital, 155 of whom are in intensive care. From Oct. 11 to 24, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 76.2 per cent of hospitalizations.

There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks, and the one at Evergreen Manor in White Rock has been declared over.

Outbreaks remain active at 28 facilities.

In long-term care: Willingdon Care Centre, Westminster House, Magnolia Gardens, Manoah Manor, Cherington Place, West Shore Laylum, Queens Park Care Centre, Heritage Village, Valleyhaven Retirement Community (Fraser Health); Amica Lions Gate, Amica Edgemont (Vancouver Coastal Health); Cottonwoods Care Centre, Overlander, Village by the Station, Haven Hill Retirement Centre, Deni House (Interior Health); and Wrinch Memorial Hospital (Northern Health).

In acute care: Mission Memorial Hospital, Chilliwack General Hospital (Fraser Health); University Hospital of Northern BC, GR Baker Memorial Hospital and Bulkley Valley District Hospital (Northern Health).

In assisted or independent living: Sunset Manor, Menno Terrace West, The Emerald at Elim Village, Swedish Assisted Living Residence, Harrison Pointe and Norman Manor (Fraser Health).

#BREAKING: BC is reporting 457 (-19) new cases of #COVID19 in the past 24 hours, along with two more deaths. Of the active cases, 390 (+24) are in the hospital, of whom 155 (+6) are in the ICU. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/QScwgtN3eh

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) October 26, 2021

On Tuesday, the province announced COVID-19 booster shots will begin to be available to the B.C. population aged 12 and up by mid-January.

Boosters will be distributed through a phased approach, with people deemed at highest risk starting to receive them this month. Priority will be based on the interval since someone received their second jab, their risk to the virus, and age.

According to the province, higher-risk populations are “fully vaccinated populations experiencing breakthrough infections, which cause significant rates of hospitalization and poor outcomes. Largest high-risk populations are the 70+ and Indigenous Peoples.”

The process of getting kids aged five to 11 vaccinated is underway. Parents can pre-register their kids online on the B.C. government’s website. Parents will be notified of eligibility to book an appointment once the vaccines are approved for use by Health Canada.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said she hopes to offer vaccines to that age group by November.

Related Articles: 

• COVID-19 booster shots available to British Columbians 12+ by mid-January

• B.C. hopes to offer COVID vaccines to kids 5 to 11 by November

• Vaccination registration for kids five and up opens in B.C.

British Columbians won’t be able to get their second or third doses through walk-in clinics. Vaccine recipients will have to be registered with the Get Vaccinated system. Pharmacies will be part of the booster dose program but not in every B.C. community.

Pfizer and Moderna will be offered as booster shots for all eligible recipients. The province says you don’t need to match up with the same vaccine you received for your first or second doses.

AstraZeneca recipients will be offered an mRNA vaccine for their booster.

On Monday, capacity restrictions were lifted for restaurants, movie theatres, performance venues, and arenas in most of B.C. The easing of restrictions also means guests are allowed to mingle and do not need to stay in their seats.

There are some health rules still in place: everyone must be double vaccinated and everyone must be masked indoors.

Interior Health, Northern Health, and Fraser East remain under provincial health orders where attendance is restricted due to high COVID-19 case numbers and lower than average vaccination rates.

– With files from Nikitha Martins