Vancouver Island records 3 more COVID-19 deaths

Three more people in the Vancouver Island region died of COVID-19 over the weekend, among 22 deaths recorded across the province since Friday.

The update Monday from the Health Ministry puts the province's pandemic death toll at 2,490, including 155 deaths in the island region.

Nine of the deaths recorded over the weekend were in the Fraser Health region, six were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and four were recorded in the Interior.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

There are currently 60 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, representing a month-over-month increase since Dec. 17, when 42 people were in hospital with the disease on the island.

However, the number of hospitalizations is down from one week ago, when 64 patients were in hospital with COVID-19, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

Critical care admissions have also dropped, with 10 people currently in the ICU for treatment of COVID-19 compared to 13 patients last Monday and 14 patients on Dec. 17.

NEW CASES

There were 5,625 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in B.C. over the weekend, including 681 new cases in the island region.

Across the province, 2,383 cases were recorded Saturday, 1,733 were recorded Sunday and 1,509 were identified on Monday.

Heath officials say daily case counts are only a fraction of B.C.'s total number of suspected cases, since testing capacity is at its limits.

However, the province says confirmed cases are still an indicator of transmission rate trends in the population.

There are currently 35,985 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 2,068 active cases in the island region.

VACCINATION RATES

Approximately 89.2 per cent of eligible B.C. residents aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.4 per cent have received two doses.

Meanwhile, 33.3 per cent of eligible British Columbians (12 and older) have received three doses of vaccine.