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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.