Vancouver Island adds 13 new COVID-19 cases; active cases hit 65
Health officials identified 13 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Friday as the number of active cases in the region continues to rise.
The new cases are among 243 cases found across British Columbia over the past 24 hours.
There are currently 1,231 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 65 active cases in the island region, according to a statement Friday from the B.C. health ministry.
More than half of the recent cases and active infections are in the Interior Health region, where an outbreak was declared in a central Okanagan care home.
There were no deaths from the disease reported in B.C. on Friday, leaving the province's pandemic death toll at 1,771.
Since the pandemic began, 41 people have died of COVID-19 in the Island Health region, where 5,265 cases have been recorded.
There is currently one person in hospital with COVID-19 in the island region and no one in critical care, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Island Health officials identified the locations of 61 active cases in the island region Friday, including 35 in the South Island, 24 in the Central Island and two in the North Island.
As of Friday, 81.1 per cent of British Columbians aged 12 and older have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 64.9 per cent have received two doses.
B.C. health-care workers have administered 6,774,257 doses of COVID-19 vaccine since the vaccines became available in December.
Background
CTV News Vancouver Island reports the daily COVID-19 case counts as reported by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, which are based on BCCDC data. There may be a discrepancy between the daily case counts reported by the BCCDC and Island Health.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.