Vancouver Island reports 3 more COVID-19 deaths, 76 new cases
B.C. health officials identified 76 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Wednesday.
The new cases were among 375 cases confirmed across the province over the past 24 hours, according to a statement from the B.C. Ministry of Health.
Island Health added more COVID-19 cases Wednesday than any other health region except for the Fraser Health region, where 98 new cases were added, according to the Health Ministry.
There are currently 2,936 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 569 active cases in the Island Health region.
Island Health has the second highest number of active cases Wednesday behind Fraser Health, where 994 cases are active, according to the Ministry of Health.
Island Health data identified the locations of 491 active cases Wednesday, including 115 in the South Island, 213 in the Central Island and 163 in the North Island.
Seven COVID-19-related deaths were reported in B.C. over the past 24 hours, including three deaths that occurred in the Island Health region.
Since the pandemic began, 2,340 people have died of the illness in B.C., including 122 deaths reported in the island region.
Forty-nine people are currently in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control, including 15 patients who require critical care.
As of Wednesday, 84.8 per cent of eligible British Columbians – those aged five and older – have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 81.7 per cent have received two doses.
B.C. began administering vaccines to young children between the ages of five and 11 on Monday.
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.
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.
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.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
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.
'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.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
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.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.