Vancouver Island adds 27 new COVID-19 cases as restrictions issued for Central Okanagan

Victoria -

Health officials have identified 27 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Friday.

The cases were among 464 new cases found across the province over the past 24 hours.

The update comes as B.C. issues new COVID-19 restrictions for the Central Okanagan, including limits on personal gatherings, organized gatherings and restaurant capacity.

Meanwhile, bars and nightclubs have also been shutdown in the region, which includes the municipalities of Peachland, West Kelowna, Kelowna, Lake Country, parts of the Central Okanagan Regional District and First Nations within the area.

Earlier in the pandemic, the province avoided placing restrictions on specific regions of B.C. Now, however, health officials say that high levels of immunization across the province allow restrictions to be placed on pockets of transmission in a "new approach."

Health officials add that surges have been seen across the province at different times during the pandemic. Currently, other areas of B.C. are still at risk, as visitors may have been in hot spots for vacations and have since returned to their home communities.

ACTIVE CASES

There are now 2,411 active cases of COVID-19 across the province, according to the B.C. Ministry of Health, including 145 active cases in the Vancouver Island region.

Island Health identified the locations of 139 active cases Friday, including 74 in the South Island, 59 in the Central Island and six in the North Island.

Health officials say no deaths related to the disease were reported over the past 24 hours, leaving the provinces' death toll at 1,772.

There is currently one person in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, and one more person is receiving critical care, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

Since the pandemic began, 41 people have died of COVID-19 in the Island Health region.

As of Friday, 81.8 per cent of people aged 12 and older have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in B.C., while 68.9 per cent of eligible people have received both doses.

Earlier Friday, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province had administered more than 7 million vaccine doses as of Aug. 6.