Vancouver Island adds 38 new COVID-19 cases as active cases continue to rise

Victoria -

B.C. health officials have identified 38 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Wednesday.

The cases were among 553 new COVID-19 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours.

There are now 5,580 active cases of COVID-19 across B.C., including 337 active cases in the island region, according to the B.C. Ministry of Health.

Island Health identified the locations of 278 active cases Wednesday, including 164 in the South Island, 86 in the Central Island and 28 in the North Island.

There are currently seven people in hospital for treatment of the disease in the Island Health region, and five more are receiving critical care, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

One more person has died of the disease Wednesday, according to the health ministry. The person lived in the Fraser Health region.

Since the pandemic began, 1,782 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 42 deaths in the Vancouver Island region.

There are currently 11 active COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care homes and assisted living facilities across the province, including an outbreak at the Discovery Harbour long-term care home in Campbell River.

The Discovery Harbour outbreak is the only active outbreak in the Island Health region.

As of Wednesday, roughly 82.8 per cent of people aged 12 and older have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in B.C., while 74.8 per cent of eligible people have received two doses.

In total, the province has administered 7,265,222 doses of vaccine since it began its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in December 2020.

On Vancouver Island alone, 1,212,725 doses of vaccine have been administered, according to the BCCDC.