Serious COVID-19 infections in B.C. continue to be on the wane, as more people get vaccinated and the infection rate stays low.
B.C. health officials today counted 49 people in B.C. hospitals with the disease that spawned a global pandemic. That is 11 fewer than the total released on Friday, and the lowest total since September 10, when officials said there were 42 such people.
Of those hospitalized, there remain a net total of 12 who are in intensive care units (ICU). That number has stayed steady, at 12, since July 14, when the province counted 11 people in ICU with COVID-19.
Sadly, two people passed away from COVID-19 during the weekend, raising the province's death toll from the pandemic to 1,763. One of those deaths was in the Fraser Health region, while the other was in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Ages for those who passed away was not immediately available.
Another 156 people during the weekend were newly diagnosed as having COVID-19 in B.C., with 56 of those identified on Saturday, 60 identified on Sunday, and 40 identified in the past 24 hours.
More than 98.3%, or 146,062, of the 148,487 people known to have contracted COVID-19 in B.C. are considered by the province to have recovered because they have gone 10 days after first feeling symptoms, and are therefore thought to not be infectious.
Provincial officials know of 653 people actively battling infections, and the vast majority of those have been told to self-isolate.
B.C.'s 653 active infections, by health region, include:
• 166 in Fraser Health (25.4%);
• 246 in Vancouver Coastal Health (37.7%);
• 179 in Interior Health (27.4%);
• 33 cases in Northern Health (5%);
• 21 in Island Health (3.2%); and
• eight people who reside outside B.C.
Health officials administered 168,660 doses of vaccine in the past 24 hours, including 168,545 to British Columbians, with the others to people who normally do not live in B.C.
Another 15,232 British Columbians received first jabs of vaccine over the weekend, while 153,313 others received needed second doses.
In total, 3,701,842 British Columbians have received at least one dose of vaccine. All of those are aged 12 years or older, with this representing what the government calculates as being 79.9% of the eligible population. Of these, 2,464,201 British Columbians, or 53.2% of the eligible population, is fully vaccinated with two shots.
For those aged 18 or older, the province has provided 3,499,069 first doses and 2,447,323 second doses of vaccine. The province calculates that this is 80.9% of B.C.'s adult population with one dose and 56.6% of B.C.'s adult population with two doses.
A total of 7,284 doses of vaccine have been provided in B.C. to either people who normally do not live in B.C., or to British Columbians who have since died, according to provincial data.
One new outbreak at a healthcare facility is at the long-term care centre Holyrood Manor in Fraser Health.
The outbreak at Laurel Place at Surrey Memorial Hospital remains active. Those are the only active outbreaks at B.C. healthcare facilities.
