The province has announced 2,211 new cases of COVID-19 over four days and 45 additional deaths, including one on Vancouver Island.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry thanked everyone who put their usual holiday traditions and celebrations aside and followed public health orders to help protect family, friends and communities.
Daily totals recorded between New Year’s Eve and Monday ranged from 539 to 607.
Since Friday there have been 64 new people who have tested positive for the virus in Island Health, bringing the number of known active cases to 108. By comparison, 1,301 new cases were recorded in Fraser Health.
“Our hope is that that leveling off that we saw before the holidays will continue,” Henry said.
The majority of deaths since Friday have been seniors and elders in long-term care and in the community, including two First Nations elders, Henry said.
New outbreaks were announced at six health care facilities, none of which are on Vancouver Island. Eight outbreaks were declared over, including one at The Gardens in Qualicum Beach. An outbreak at Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo involving six residents is ongoing.
Two Island First Nations communities — the Cowichan Tribes and the Snuneymuxw First Nation — have reported outbreaks.
According to management of Mayfair Shopping Centre in Victoria, two people who work at the mall have tested positive for COVID-19 and are now self-isolating. They say the shopping centre has undertaken a thorough disinfection process.
Henry said the province has received 54,625 doses of vaccine. As of Sunday, 24,139 people had been vaccinated. Most have received the Pfizer vaccine, while a smaller number have received the Moderna vaccine.
The vaccines, which must be handled cautiously, require a lot of planning and preparation around security, sub-zero storage, and transportation, Henry said.
Once health officials become more comfortable with the “complex” requirements, “I expect it to go an awful lot more smoothly,” she said.
To date 54,201 people in B.C. have tested positive for COVID-19 and of those 45,229 have recovered. There have been 946 deaths linked to the virus.
There are 6,823 active cases of COVID-19 across British Columbia. Of those, 351 people are in hospital, including 76 in intensive or critical care.
