VICTORIA -- Another person has died of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region as five more cases were added to the island’s total on Friday.
There are now 62 active cases in the Island Health region, including five people in hospital and one in critical care. Twenty-six of the active cases in the region are in the South Island, another 24 are in the Central Island, and 12 are in the North Island.
Health officials have confirmed 808 cases of COVID-19 in the region since the pandemic began and 10 people have died. Approximately 733 people in Island Health have recovered.
Across B.C., health officials reported 11 new deaths Friday and 624 new cases. There have been 45,400 cases recorded across the province since the start of the pandemic.
Nearly 2,600 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine have now been given to B.C. health-care workers, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“The focus of our immunization program right now is to safely protect as many people as possible as efficiently as we can, but we have to remember that this is a global effort with many aspects often changing," said Henr yand Health Minister Adrian Dix in a statement. "As more vaccine arrives in the coming weeks, we all need to be patient and continue to follow public health orders to keep our communities safe."
Vancouver Island is expected to begin receiving vaccines next week.
