PROVINCIAL Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix on Friday announced 180 new cases of COVID-19, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 146,176 cases in British Columbia.

There has been one new COVID-19-related death, for a total of 1,730 deaths in the province.

Henry and Dix said: “Today, we are reporting that 75.1% of all adults in B.C. and 73.1% of those 12 and older have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In total, 3,893,581 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 497,932 of which are second doses.”

Of the new COVID-19 cases, 11 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 107 are in the Fraser Health region, 13 are in the Island Health region, 39 are in the Interior Health region and 10 are in the Northern Health region.

There are currently 1,880 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and a further 142,526 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 162 individuals are currently hospitalized, 45 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at Rotary Manor Dawson Creek (Northern Health).

Henry and Dix said: “As long as we increase our contacts in a slow and measured way, register and get fully vaccinated, and continue to use our layers of protection, we can confidently move forward with BC’s Restart plan.

“What we have seen is that getting fully immunized with your first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine is making the difference, helping to dramatically slow the spread in our communities.

“Right now, invitations for second doses are starting at eight weeks, with appointments bookings in most locations two to three weeks later. The federal government has also confirmed a significant additional shipment of Moderna later this month. This is good news, and our team, led by Dr. Penny Ballem, is working to incorporate that into our vaccination plans.

“Whether you have a Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine, there will be a dose available for you when it is your turn.

“Let’s keep slowly and purposefully moving forward to allow all of us to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us.”