Island Health confirms 1 new COVID-19 death in final update of the week
B.C. health officials have confirmed one new COVID-19 death in the Vancouver Island region Friday.
Across the province, nine COVID-19-related deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, including the one in Island Health.
Since the pandemic began, 2,529 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 162 in the island region.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, 65 people are in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island.
Friday's total is up from the 56 patients in hospital Thursday, and an increase from the 37 reported one week ago on Jan. 14.
As of Friday, 11 patients are receiving critical care in Island Health, up from seven reported Thursday and nine confirmed on Jan. 14.
Roughly one month ago, on Dec. 21, 40 people were in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 in Island Health, including 15 patients who required critical care.
NEW CASES
Health officials have confirmed 2,364 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 334 cases in the Vancouver Island region Friday.
Although confirmed cases are only a fraction of the total number of cases in B.C., health officials say the test results are still an indicator of transmission rates in the province.
"Yes, we have our highest test positivity rates ever, and it's in the 20 to 30 per cent positive range, but that means 70 per cent of people who are testing don't have COVID-19," said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry at a live update Friday morning.
There are currently 33,997 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 2,024 active cases in the island region, according to the Health Ministry.
At the briefing, Henry added that contact tracing was no longer an effective tool for managing the pandemic, since the Omicron variant is highly transmissible.
"We now need to shift our management and think about the things we can do across the board to prevent transmission and prevent ourselves from being exposed," she said.
VACCINATIONS
As of Friday, approximately 89.4 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.5 per cent have received two doses.
Meanwhile, roughly 37.8 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged 12 and older have received a third dose of vaccine.
Earlier Friday, Island Health declared three new COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care homes on Vancouver Island.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.