Vancouver Island adds 13 new COVID-19 cases in final update of the week
B.C. Health officials say 13 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Vancouver Island region Friday.
The new cases are among 180 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours.
In a rare turn, more cases were found in the Vancouver Island region than the Vancouver Coastal Health region on Friday.
Island Health reported 13 new cases, Vancouver Coastal reported 11, Fraser Health added 107 new cases, Interior Health reported 39 and Northern Health identified 10 new cases over the past 24 hours.
B.C. has now reported 146,176 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, including 5,120 found in the Vancouver Island region.
There are currently 83 active cases of COVID-19 in the island region, according to the BCCDC. Of those cases, two people are in hospital for treatment, neither of whom require critical care.
Island Health identified the locations of 56 of the active cases Friday, including 37 in the South Island, 11 in the Central Island and eight in the North Island.
Health officials say one person has died of the virus Friday, bringing the province's death toll to 1,730. The victim did not live in the island region, where 41 people have died since the pandemic began.
"Our condolences are with the family, friends and caregivers of the people who have died as a result of COVID-19," said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix in a joint statement.
Roughly three out of four adults in British Columbia have now received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health officials. Approximately 75.1 per cent of adults have received their first dose, while 73.1 per cent of youth aged 12 and older have received their first dose.
In total, B.C. has administered 3,893,581 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including 497,932 second doses.
"What we have seen is that getting fully immunized with your first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine is making the difference, helping to dramatically slow the spread in our communities," said Henry and Dix.
Health officials say that B.C. remains on track to ease restrictions next week, when Step 2 of the province's reopening plan is scheduled to take place on June 15 at the earliest.
"As long as we increase our contacts in a slow and measured way, register and get fully vaccinated, and continue to use our layers of protection, we can confidently move forward with BC’s Restart plan," said Dix and Henry.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Video shows suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.