Vancouver Island adds 2 new COVID-19 deaths, 82 more cases
The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) identified 82 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Tuesday.
The new cases were among 652 cases recorded across the province over the past 24 hours, according to BCCDC data.
There are currently 5,992 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 677 active cases in the island region, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Thirty-five people are in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 15 people receiving critical care.
Island Health identified the locations of 577 active cases Tuesday, including 299 in the South Island, 235 in the Central Island and 43 in the North Island
Two more people have died of COVID-19 in the Island Health region. They were the only deaths reported across the province Tuesday.
Since the pandemic began, 1,942 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 65 deaths in the Island Health region.
On Tuesday afternoon, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix provided a live update on the province's management of the pandemic.
At the live update, Henry announced that B.C. would be offering a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to residents of long-term care homes and assisted living facilities. The booster shots will begin next week, said Henry.
Roughly 87.8 per cent of people aged 12 and older in B.C. have now received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 80.6 per cent of eligible people have received two doses.
In total, the province has administered 7,812,228 doses of vaccine since it began its immunization campaign in December.
Meanwhile, B.C.'s health minister said Tuesday that more contact-tracing staff will be added to all health authorities across the province.
As of Tuesday, there are 1,164 contact tracers working across B.C., and Dix says the province plans to add another 147 workers as soon as possible.
New temporary health order
During the live update, B.C.'s top doctor also announced that new temporary health orders were coming to the Fraser Health region, specifically the Fraser East local health area, starting Tuesday.
Henry said the temporary measures are similar to what was placed in the Central Okanagan region earlier this summer, including caps on indoor and outdoor social gathering sizes, and limits on capacity for some events.
Additionally, Henry and Dix said that each health authority will soon be posting school COVID-19 exposures on their own websites.
The health authorities will no longer send out letters to school communities about possible exposures, with health officials saying that online updates are a more effective means of communication.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
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.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
The UN warns Sudan's warring parties that Darfur risks starvation and death if aid isn't allowed in
The United Nations food agency warned Sudan's warring parties Friday that there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don't allow humanitarian aid into the vast western region.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.