4 new COVID-19 cases found on Vancouver Island
Health officials have confirmed four new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Wednesday.
The new cases were among 113 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours, though health officials say Wednesday afternoon's case count is provisional and may be amended in the future.
There are currently 85 active cases of COVID-19 in the island region, according to the BCCDC, including three people in hospital and one more receiving critical care.
Island Health identified the locations of 57 of the active cases Wednesday, including 42 in the South Island, seven in the Central Island and eight in the North Island.
B.C. has now reported 146,674 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic, including 5,140 cases found in the Vancouver Island region.
Health officials say four more people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., bringing the province's death toll to 1,738. None of the victims lived in the island region, where 41 people have died since the pandemic began.
"Our condolences are with the family, friends and caregivers of the people who have died as a result of COVID-19," said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix in a joint statement.
Approximately 76.3 per cent of adults in B.C. have now received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 74.6 per cent of people aged 12 and older have received their first shot.
In total, B.C. has administered 4,165,142 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including 710,847 second doses.
"British Columbia has some of the highest levels of immunization for Dose 1 in the world – something we can be incredibly proud of – and we have the ability to push that even higher," said Henry and Dix.
"Getting fully immunized is the best way for us to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us," added the pair. "It is how we protect our family and friends, the people at our favourite store or local theatre, as well as the communities we want to visit this summer."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.