Vancouver Island adds 96 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths in 24 hours
British Columbia health officials identified 96 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Friday.
The new cases were among 405 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours.
There are currently 3,071 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 646 active cases in the Vancouver Island region, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.
Island Health continues to have the second highest number of active cases in B.C., behind the Fraser Health region, where 990 cases are active Friday, according to the province.
Vancouver Island's top doctor told CTV News on Thursday that the island's recent surge in new and active cases was partly caused by a religious gathering in the Courtenay area last week.
Island Health data identified the locations of 577 active cases Friday, including 128 in the South Island, 248 in the Central Island and 201 in the North Island.
Six deaths related to COVID-19 were confirmed in B.C. over the past 24 hours, including two that occurred in the island region.
Three other deaths were reported in Fraser Health and one was in Vancouver Coastal Health.
Since the pandemic began, 2,351 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in B.C., including 124 deaths confirmed in the Island Health region.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, 44 people are in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 14 patients who require critical care.
As of Friday, 85.1 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 81.8 per cent have receive two doses.
Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, people who are not vaccinated accounted for 54 per cent of the province's COVID-19 cases, despite only making up approximately 15 per cent of British Columbians.
From Nov. 18 to Dec. 1, people who are not vaccinated also accounted for 61.4 per cent of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in B.C.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.