No COVID-19 deaths recorded in Island Health as province eases restrictions
There were no new deaths related to COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Tuesday, according to a statement from the B.C. Health Ministry.
Elsewhere in the province, two people died in the Northern Health region. The update brings B.C.'s pandemic death toll to 2,766, including 202 deaths in Island Health.
The statement followed a live news conference in which provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that fitness centres will be allowed to return to full capacity, and adult sports tournaments will be allowed to restart on Feb. 17.
Restrictions on private indoor gatherings will also be dropped at that time.
Bars and nightclubs will also reopen, with patrons allowed to dance and mingle between tables.
Organized events such as weddings and funeral receptions will be allowed to return to indoor venues, while movie theatres, arts venues and sports arenas will return to full capacity.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
Eighty-two people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, up from 79 reported Monday but down from 92 confirmed a week ago on Feb. 8.
Meanwhile, 14 patients are receiving critical care in Island Health, up from 12 reported Monday and 10 recorded on Feb. 8.
Around this time last month, on Jan. 18, 58 people were in hospital with COVID-19 in Island Health, including 10 patients that required intensive care.
NEW CASES
There were 78 new COVID-19 cases recorded in the Island Health region Tuesday and 519 new cases reported provincewide.
However, the Health Ministry said a data error over the weekend means the total number of cases recorded on Tuesday was actually 246 but it did not include cases from Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health.
VACCINATIONS
As of Tuesday, approximately 90.4 per cent of eligible B.C. residents aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 85.3 percent have received two doses.
Meanwhile, 55.5 per cent of British Columbians aged 12 and older have received three doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau calls violence in Montreal 'appalling' as NATO protest continues
Anti-NATO protesters gathered again in Montreal on Saturday to demand Canada withdraw from the alliance, a day after a demonstration organized by different groups resulted in arrests, burned cars and shattered windows.
7 suspects, including 13-year-old, charged following 'violent' home invasion north of Toronto
Seven teenage suspects, including a 13-year-old, have been arrested following a targeted and “violent” home invasion in Vaughan on Friday, police say.
These vascular risks are strongly associated with severe stroke, researchers say
Many risk factors can lead to a stroke, but the magnitude of risk from some of these conditions or behaviours may have a stronger association with severe stroke compared with mild stroke, according to a new study.
Widow of Chinese businessman who was executed for murder can sell her Vancouver house, court rules
A murder in China and a civil lawsuit in B.C. have been preventing the sale of multiple Vancouver homes, but one of them could soon hit the market after a court ruling.
Cher 'shocked' to discover her legal name when she applied to change it
Cher recalls a curious interlude from her rich and many-chaptered history in her new book 'Cher: The Memoir, Part One.'
Black bear killed in self-defence after attack on dog-walker in Maple Ridge, B.C.
A black bear has died following a brawl with a man on a trail in Maple Ridge, B.C.
Retiring? Here's how to switch from saving for your golden years to spending
The last paycheque from a decades-long career arrives next Friday and the nest egg you built during those working years will now turn into a main source of income. It can be a jarring switch from saving for retirement to spending in retirement.
Canadian neurosurgeons seek six patients for Musk's Neuralink brain study
Canadian neurosurgeons in partnership with Elon Musk's Neuralink have regulatory approval to recruit six patients with paralysis willing to have a thousand electrode contacts in their brains.
Police thought this gnome looked out of place. Then they tested it for drugs
During a recent narcotics investigation, Dutch police said they found a garden gnome made of approximately two kilograms of MDMA.