B.C. public health teams recorded 1,618 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, with 20 additional deaths in the past three days.
There were 613 new cases reported Saturday, 529 on Sunday and 476 on Monday, Oct. 25. As of Monday there are 366 people in hospital with active COVID-19 infections, up one from Friday, with 149 of them in intensive care, up seven over the three days.
Four of the deaths were in the Northern Health region and six in Interior Health. There were another four deaths in Fraser Health, the most populated region, with three deaths each in Vancouver Coastal and on Vancouver Island.
Five new outbreaks have been declared in the B.C. health care system since Friday, at Chilliwack General Hospital, Valleyhaven Retirement Community and Norman Manor in Chilliwack, Harrison Pointe senior home in Langley, and Amica Edgemont senior home in North Vancouver. An outbreak at Tofino General Hospital has been declared over, for a total of 29 active outbreaks in the B.C. health care system.
Health Minister Adrian Dix told the B.C. legislature Monday that third doses of vaccine for residents in long-term care and assisted living facilities are on track to be completed by next week. Opposition MLAs called for third doses to be extended to Indigenous communities, which were among the first to receive vaccines in B.C.
Dix said the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, one of those calling publicly for third doses, has 77 per cent of people with first doses and 69 per cent with two doses, so the priority remains vaccinating those who haven’t received two shots yet. Province-wide, 90 per cent of eligible adults have received at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, and 85 per cent have two doses.
B.C. health authorities continue to operate scheduled appointment and walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics around the province. A full list of clinic locations and hours by region can be found here. Registration and booking appointments in B.C. can be done here, or by calling 1-833-838-2323 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. seven days a week.
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New and active cases by region for Oct. 23-25:
• 699 new cases in Fraser Health. 2.030 active
• 190 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 619 active
• 254 new cases in Interior Health, 665 active
• 289 new cases in Northern Health, 1,042 active
• 186 new cases in Island Health, 551 active
@tomfletcherbc
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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