Vancouver Island adds 309 new COVID-19 cases; active cases at all-time high

Another 309 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Island Health region Wednesday, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

The new cases were among 2,944 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours.

There are currently 1,353 active cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region, health officials said at a live update Wednesday.

Across B.C., 16,014 cases are active, said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry at the live briefing.

Thirty-eight people are in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 12 patients in critical care, according to the BCCDC.

Since Dec. 24, five COVID-19-related deaths were reported in B.C., including three in the Island Health region.

Since the pandemic began, 2,419 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 142 in the island region.

'PHASED' RETURN TO SCHOOL

At the live briefing Wednesday, health officials announced that B.C. would be rolling out a "phased" return to school for the K-12 system.

Schools will open on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 for students with special needs and children of essential workers, while a full return is scheduled for Jan. 10.

"Our goal is to keep students learning in person safely for the remaining of this school year," said B.C.'s Minister of Education, Jennifer Whiteside.

Enhanced health measures will also be in place once students are back in classrooms, health officials say. Details on the back-to-school plan can be found here.