COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise in Island Health
The number of patients in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 continues to rise on Vancouver Island.
As of Tuesday, 100 people were in hospital for COVID in Island Health, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, up from the 81 patients reported Monday and up from the 58 confirmed one week ago on Jan. 18.
Meanwhile, 13 patients are currently in intensive care on Vancouver Island, an increase from the 11 reported Monday and 10 confirmed on Jan. 18.
Around this time last month, on Dec. 23, 41 people were in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 in Island Health, including 18 patients who required critical care.
No new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in Island Health over the past 24 hours, according to a statement Tuesday from the B.C. Ministry of Health.
Across the province, only one death was reported in Fraser Health.
Since the pandemic began, 2,554 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 162 in the Vancouver Island region.
NEW CASES
B.C. health officials confirmed another 163 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Tuesday.
The new cases were among 1,446 cases confirmed across the province over the past 24 hours.
While confirmed cases are only a fraction of B.C.'s total number of COVID-19 cases, health officials say the tests still serve as an indicator of transmission rates and test positivity in the province.
As of Tuesday, there are 32,468 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 1,679 active cases in the island region.
VACCINATIONS
Approximately 89.6 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received one does of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.6 per cent have receive two doses.
Meanwhile, 41.3 per cent of eligible B.C. residents aged 12 and older have received a third dose of vaccine as of Tuesday.
While speaking at a live briefing Tuesday afternoon, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said B.C.'s vaccine passport system would remain in place until the end of June.
She also announced that youth sports tournaments would be allowed to restart next week, though adult tournaments are still suspended at this time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.