Vancouver Island adds 360 new COVID-19 cases, active cases at all-time high

B.C. health officials have identified another 360 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Tuesday.

The new cases are among 2,542 cases confirmed across the province over the past 24 hours.

There are currently 27,106 active cases of COVID-19 across B.C., according to data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, including a record-setting 3,113 active cases in the Island Health region.

Sixty-one people are currently in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 15 patients who require critical care, according to the BCCDC.

Since the last update on Dec. 31, four COVID-19-related deaths were confirmed in B.C., including two the island region.

Since the pandemic began, 2,427 have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 145 in Island Health.

OMICRON SURGING

Earlier Tuesday, health officials provided an update on the province's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at a live briefing.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that the Omicron variant continues to surge across B.C., with the variant making up 80 per cent of new confirmed cases.

She said that there was no longer "four degrees of separation, where you might know somebody who knows somebody who has COVID."

Instead, she said most British Columbians likely know an immediate family member or friend who has COVID-19.

While the variant is spreading rapidly, Henry says the province is "coping," and she encourages everyone to be "proactive" when it comes to avoiding transmission, and preventing yourself from transmitting to others if you're feeling unwell.

STAYING HOME IF SICK

Henry said that one of the most immediate challenges the province will face is people staying home due to illness.

"Our challenge will be, across the board, dealing with high numbers of people being off work," she said.

Henry encourages businesses to have contingency plans in place for continuity of work in case as much as a third of their workers are sick at once.

"Now's the time to prepare," said Henry, adding that, on average, people who are vaccinated against COVID-19 have only mild symptoms with the Omicron variant.

As of Tuesday, 88.3 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 83 per cent have received two doses.

Meanwhile, 20.7 per cent of eligible B.C. residents have received three doses.