No new COVID-19 cases reported on Vancouver Island
British Columbia health officials say there were no new cases of COVID-19 found on Vancouver Island Friday.
Officials identified 109 new cases across B.C. over the past 24 hours.
Authorities have now confirmed 146,902 cases of COVID-19 in the province since the pandemic began, including 5,145 cases in the Vancouver Island region.
One more person has died of COVID-19 in the province, health officials announced Friday, bringing B.C.'s pandemic death toll to 1,740.
Forty-one people in the Vancouver Island region have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
There are currently 73 active cases of COVID-19 in the island region, including three people in hospital and one more in critical care, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Island Health identified the locations of 56 of the active cases Friday, including 39 in the South Island, 11 in the Central Island and six in the North Island.
“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 statement Friday.
Approximately 76.7 per cent of adults in B.C. have now received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 75.1 per cent of people aged 12 and older have received their first shot.
Health officials continue to encourage all British Columbians to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as possible.
“Being fully vaccinated – with both doses – gives you and those around you maximum protection, which is why we encourage everyone to book your second dose as soon as you are eligible,” Dix and Henry said.
“Getting fully vaccinated with two doses of World Health Organization-approved vaccines in use in Canada today also ensures you will be able to travel when it is once again safe to do so,” the pair added.
CTV News Vancouver Island reports the daily COVID-19 case counts released in statements from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, which are based on BCCDC data. There may be a discrepancy from the daily case counts reported by the BCCDC and Island Health.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.