British Columbia has recorded another 12 deaths linked to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 2,851.
One of the deaths was in the Island Health region, where 212 people with COVID have died since the start of the pandemic.
A statement from the Health Ministry shows the number of people in hospitals due to COVID-19 has declined again, with 599 people in hospital Friday, a drop from 612 the day before. Sixty-seven of those are in Island Health.
The ministry says people with two or more doses of a vaccine accounted for 66.3 per cent of hospitalizations in the two-week period that ended Wednesday.
It says there was one new health-care facility outbreak for a total of 27 facilities with outbreaks, most of them long-term care homes. Twelve of the affected facilities are in the Island Health region.
Outbreaks at three Island facilities have been declared over. Sunridge Place in Duncan had 23 resident cases and two staff cases; Sluggett House in Brentwood Bay had two resident cases and seven staff cases; and the Heights at Mt. View in Victoria had three resident cases and one staff case. The facilities are run by Park Place Seniors Housing, Beacon Community Services, and Baptist Housing, respectively.
The province says more than 93 per cent of those eligible 12 and older have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 55.3 per cent have had a booster shot.
There were 583 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in B.C. on Friday. That’s down substantially from late December, when almost 4,400 cases were reported in one day.
However, health officials have said the actual current number is likely higher due to testing capacity limits.
Ninety-six cases were reported Friday in Island Health.
— With a file from the Times Colonist
