Island Health reports no new COVID-19 deaths as 24 confirmed across B.C.
No deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in Island Health over the weekend, though 24 deaths were confirmed across the province over the past 72 hours.
Eighteen occurred in Fraser Health, three were reported in Vancouver Coastal Health, one occurred in Interior Health and two were confirmed in Northern Health.
Since the pandemic began, 2,553 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 162 in the island region.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
Eighty-one people are currently in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, up from 65 reported Friday, and 60 confirmed one week ago on Jan. 17, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Eleven patients are receiving critical care in Island Health as of Monday, a total that's unchanged from Friday and up slightly from the 10 reported on Jan. 17.
Around this time last month, on Dec. 23, 41 people were in hospital, including 18 patients who required critical care, according to the BCCDC.
NEW CASES
Another 626 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the Vancouver Island region over the weekend, health officials announced Monday.
The new cases were among 4,997 cases confirmed across the province over the past 72 hours, including 2,163 cases added Saturday, 1,489 found Sunday and 1,345 confirmed Monday.
While confirmed cases are only a fraction of B.C.'s total number of COVID-19 cases, the tests still serve as an indicator of transmission rates in the province, health officials say.
There are currently 31,822 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 1,544 active cases in the island region.
VACCINATIONS
As of Monday, 89.6 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.6 per cent have received two doses.
Meanwhile, approximately 40.4 per cent of eligible B.C. residents aged 12 and older have received a third dose of vaccine.
On Monday afternoon, Island Health declared a new outbreak of COVID-19 at a long-term care home in Nanaimo.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My little love is now flying high': Families pay tribute to Texas school shooting victims
Families are sharing photos and stories of their loved ones, who lost their lives in a mass shooting in Texas that killed at least 19 children and two adults on Tuesday afternoon.

Beto O'Rourke confronts Gov. Abbott on shooting: 'This is on you'
A news conference about the shooting at a Texas elementary school broke into shouting Wednesday as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke blamed Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for inaction ahead of the latest in a long string of mass shootings in the state.
Live updates from the French Conservative leadership debate
The six candidates on the ballot to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada are debating face-to-face in French, in Laval, Que.
Onlookers urged police to charge into Texas school
Onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman's rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, a witness said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a Border Patrol team.
Trudeau cancelled B.C. appearance after RCMP warned protest could escalate: CP source
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled plans to appear in person at a Liberal fundraiser in British Columbia Tuesday after RCMP warned an aggressive protest outside the event could escalate if he arrived, said a source close to the decision. The source spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
Who controls the price of crude oil?
Do oil companies control the price of crude? CTVNews.ca asked experts to explain.
Canada's 2022 summer weather forecast predicts huge differences from coast-to-coast
Several parts of the country, including British Columbia and Canada's Maritime provinces, are likely to see wetter-than-normal conditions this summer, according to AccuWeather's annual summer forecast.
Monkeypox in Canada: PHAC now confirms 16 cases nationwide
The Public Health Agency of Canada says it has now confirmed a total of 16 cases of monkeypox in the country, all in Quebec.
'How to Murder Your Husband' author found guilty of murder
A jury in Portland has convicted a self-published romance novelist - who once wrote an essay titled 'How to Murder Your Husband' - of fatally shooting her husband four years ago.