VICTORIA -- Sixteen more cases of COVID-19 have been discovered on Vancouver Island, health officials said Wednesday, as B.C.’s top doctor announced a new temporary health measure ahead of New Year’s Eve.

Island Health has now seen 917 confirmed cases of the virus since the pandemic first began. Across B.C., 485 new cases and 11 more deaths related to COVID-19 were identified over the past 24 hours.

On Wednesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry introduced a one-day health order that restricts when establishments can sell alcohol on New Year’s Eve.

Under the new temporary health order, all establishments that sell alcohol will be restricted from selling liquor beverages between 8 p.m., Dec. 31, and 9 a.m., Jan. 1, 2021.

The health order applies to restaurants, bars and retailers that are allowed to sell alcohol, such as grocery stores.

Henry notes that restaurants and eateries are still allowed to remain open past 8 p.m., but only for meal services.

Establishments that do not offer meal services, such as some bars, must close by 9 p.m.

Health officials say that hospitality industry workers have reported that it is increasingly difficult to ensure health orders are being followed later into the evening if people are consuming alcohol.

B.C.’s top doctor hopes that the one-day health order will reduce pressure on hospitality workers and prevent increased COVID-19 transmission on the last day of the year.

Further details on the new health order can be found here.

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 more COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across B.C. over the past 24 hours.

On Tuesday, health officials said that 11,930 vaccine doses had been processed. On Wednesday, that number had risen to 14,027.

As of Wednesday, there are currently 79 active cases of COVID-19 across the Island Health region, including eight people who are in hospital for treatment, as well as two people who require critical care.

Of the island’s active cases, 42 are located in the South Island, 17 are found in the Central Island and 20 are ongoing in the North Island.

Across B.C., there are currently 7,551 active cases of the virus.