Island Health confirms 2 more COVID-19 deaths, hundreds of new cases
Two more people have died of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region, according to the latest B.C. Centre for Disease Control data released Wednesday.
Over the past 24 hours, 13 deaths have been reported in the province, including the two in the island region, according to the BCCDC.
Since the pandemic began, 2,505 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 157 in the island region.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
As of Wednesday, 60 patients were in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 in Island Health, marking a small increase from the 58 reported Tuesday, but a small decrease from the 65 confirmed last week on Jan. 12.
Meanwhile, seven patients are in critical care in Island Health due to COVID-19, marking a dip from the 10 reported yesterday and 11 confirmed on Jan. 12.
This time last month, 37 people were in hospital for COVID-19 in Island Health, including 14 patients who required critical care, according to BCCDC data from Dec. 20.
NEW CASES
Another 275 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Vancouver Island region Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health.
The cases were among 2,387 new cases confirmed across the province over the past 24 hours.
While confirmed cases are only a fraction of the true number of COVID-19 cases in B.C., health officials say the test results do serve as an indicator of transmission rates in the province.
There are currently 35,770 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 2,095 active cases in the island region.
VACCINATIONS
Approximately 89.3 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.4 per cent have received two doses.
As of Wednesday, approximately 35.5 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged 12 and older have received a third dose of vaccine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.