DR. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, on Monday announced 2,211 new cases of COVID-19, including 22 epi-linked cases, since December 31 for a total of 54,201 cases in British Columbia.
They said: “Today, we are reporting on new cases of COVID-19 from December 31 through to today. From December 31 to January 1, we had 565 new cases; from January 1 to 2, we had 607 new cases and from January 2 to 3, we had 500 new cases. In the last 24 hours, we had 539 new cases.”
Sadly, there have been 45 new COVID-19-related deaths since December 31, and the total number of deaths now stands at 946 in the province.
There are 6,823 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 351 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 76 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Currently, 8,785 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 45,229 people who tested positive have recovered.
There have been 389 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,301 new cases in the Fraser Health region, 64 in the Island Health region, 288 in the Interior Health region, 169 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.
Since the start of immunizations up to Sunday, 24,139 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in British Columbia.
Henry and Dix said: “While our December allotment was limited, the smaller initial deliveries have allowed us to refine our processes and address any hurdles that have emerged as we ramp up our provincewide immunization program.
“Our approach is to maximize distribution, while balancing supply – vaccinating as many high-risk people as possible in this initial period.”
There have been six new health-care facility outbreaks at Braddan Private Hospital, Kin Village, Madison Care Centre, Royal City Manor, Williams Lake Seniors Village and Creekside Landing. The outbreaks at Chilliwack Lifestyles, Finnish Manor, Holyrood Manor, Northcrest Care Centre, St. Judes Anglican Home, The Gardens at Qualicum Beach, The Residence at Clayton Heights and Three Links Care Centre are now over.
They added: “It may be a new year, but the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, and we all need to continue to do all we can to keep ourselves and those around us safe.
“Today, many people are getting back to work and back to school after a winter break, which means reminding ourselves about using our layers of protection – wherever we may be.
“We thank and commend the many, many people throughout B.C. who put their usual traditions and celebrations aside and followed the public health orders to help protect their communities and each other from COVID-19.
“Since the start of the pandemic, many sacrifices have been made, including up to the very last day of the year.
“Despite these efforts, we know some people chose to bend the rules. As a result, we encourage everyone to pay close attention to the key symptoms of COVID-19 – especially given how easily the virus can spread.
“In particular, if you develop a cough, a loss of sense of smell or taste, fever or chills or have difficulty breathing, contact your health care professional or call 811 to get tested right away.
“The people getting sick today contracted the virus days ago, which is why the actions we take today make such a difference to our well-being tomorrow.
“We want 2021 to be our year of success with COVID-19, so let’s all resolve to continue to do our part to get through this storm.”
