VICTORIA -- Health officials identified 27 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Tuesday, one day after nearly 3,500 island residents were vaccinated.
The new cases were among 556 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours, bringing B.C.’s total to 88,929 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.
There were no deaths from the disease reported Tuesday, leaving B.C.’s COVID-19 death toll at 1,407.
Health officials have now recorded 2,788 cases of COVID-19 in the island region and 28 deaths since the pandemic began.
Island Health revealed the locations of 202 active cases Tuesday, including 68 in the South Island, 96 in the Central Island and 38 in the North Island.
The province has now administered 424,517 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 87,070 secondary doses.
On Vancouver Island, health officials vaccinated 3,469 people Monday, the first day of the province’s mass immunization program. Island Health says it plans to vaccinate approximately 17,000 island residents by the end of the week.
COVID-19 variant cases continue to be a concern for public health officials, with 116 new variant cases identified Tuesday in B.C. The province has now recorded 996 variant cases since the strains first emerged, including 130 cases that are considered active Tuesday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix are reminding British Columbians to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day safely on Wednesday, when all liquor sales in the province will be forced to cease at 8 p.m.
“We are starting to turn the dial to restart activities that have been on pause, starting with outdoor activities that are safer,” Dix and Henry added. “We must continue to be cautious in our approach to achieve the right balance – moving slowly to ensure we don’t give the virus the opportunity to surge.”
