Island Health reports 4 more COVID-19 deaths, 354 new cases
B.C. health officials say four more deaths related to COVID-19 were confirmed in Island Health over the past 24 hours.
Across the province, 15 deaths related to the illness were reported in B.C., including the ones in Island Health.
Since the pandemic began, 2,520 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 161 in Island Health.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
Fifty-six patients are currently in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 in Island Health, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
That total is down slightly from Wednesday, when 60 patients were in hospital, and down from a week ago, when 65 people were hospitalized on Jan. 13.
As of Thursday, seven patients are receiving critical care in Island Health. That total is unchanged from Wednesday, but down from the nine confirmed on Jan. 13.
This time last month, 37 people were in hospital for COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 14 patients who required critical care.
NEW CASES
Another 354 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Vancouver Island region Thursday, according to the B.C. Ministry of Health.
The new cases were among 2,150 confirmed across the province over the past 24 hours.
While confirmed cases are only a portion of the total number of cases in B.C., health officials say the test results are still an indicator of transmission in the province.
As of Thursday, there are 34,835 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 2,104 active cases in the island region.
VACCINATIONS
Roughly 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, approximately 36.7 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged 18 and older have received a third dose of vaccine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.