Dozens in hospital as Vancouver Island records 1,249 new COVID-19 cases over weekend

Health officials identified 1,249 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region over the weekend.

The new cases were among 6,966 cases found across British Columbia since Friday, including 2,573 cases found Saturday, 2,287 found Sunday and 2,106 identified Monday.

There are now 34,551 active cases of the coronavirus in B.C., including 3,821 active cases in the Island Health region, representing a small decrease locally since Friday.

Sixty-four people are currently in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island including 13 patients receiving critical care, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

Seven more deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in the province over the weekend, including three deaths in the Fraser Health region, three in Vancouver Coastal Health and one in Northern Health.

Since the pandemic began, 2,446 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 147 in the island region.

Approximately 88.7 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.2 per cent have received two doses.

Across the province, 27.7 per cent of eligible B.C. residents have now received a third dose of the vaccine.