There are now 43,463 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C. after health officials announced 522 new cases Tuesday.
Eight of the new cases are epi-linked.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there have been 84 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 338 in the Fraser Health region, seven in the Island Health region, 56 in the Interior Health region, 37 in the Northern Health region and no new cases from people who reside outside of Canada.
There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at Burnaby Hospital. The outbreak at Langley Memorial Hospital long-term care facility has been declared over.There has also been one new community outbreak at the Teck Resources Elkview and Fording River operations and a community cluster at Big White Ski Resort.
The outbreaks at Cambridge and Newton Elementary schools are over.
There have been 21 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 668 deaths in British Columbia.
Of the total COVID-19 cases, 361 individuals are hospitalized, 93 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. There are 10,768 people under active public health monitoring for the virus.
There are 9,860 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and 31,866 people have recovered from the virus.
Public alerts and notifications are posted on the BC Centre for Disease Control’s (BCCDC) website and on all health authorities’ websites.
“Today is a momentous day in our province with the start of our first COVID-19 vaccine clinics. With immunizations now underway, those who are most vulnerable to severe illness have one more layer of protection that will get stronger as each new person gets immunized," said Henry.
“Even as we look to brighter days ahead, we must remember that the pandemic is far from over. This is why, as we enter this next stage, using our layers of protection and following all of the public health orders is more important than ever.
“No one wants to experience the tragedy of losing a loved one when this day of hope is upon us. So let’s make Dec. 15 a day for doing all we can to protect our communities and the people we care for most.”
