Vancouver Island adds 42 new COVID-19 cases over long weekend
Health officials identified 42 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region over the long weekend as active cases in the region continue to rise.
The new cases were among 742 cases found across British Columbia since Friday. Of the new B.C. cases, 160 were identified on Saturday, 196 were identified on Sunday, 185 were identified on Monday and 201 were found on Tuesday.
There are currently 1,544 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 85 active cases in the island region, according to a statement from the B.C. health ministry.
Island Health officials identified the locations of 79 active cases in the island region Tuesday, including 42 in the South Island, 32 in the Central Island and five in the North Island.
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.
DELTA VARIANT ON VANCOUVER ISLAND
The update comes as new data reveals the Delta variant has accounted for most, if not all, new COVID-19 cases recorded on Vancouver Island since the middle of July.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, the highly contagious Delta variant accounted for all 30 new COVID-19 cases recorded in the island region between July 18 and July 24.
Delta variant cases made up approximately 61 per cent of all COVID-19 cases across the province that same week, with the Island Health authority reporting the highest prevalence of the variant at 100 per cent, followed by the Interior Health authority at 89 per cent and the Vancouver Coastal Health authority at 57 per cent.
“We know that the same measures that we take to prevent transmission work against all of the variants, including Delta, which is the one that we’re seeing circulating quite frequently right now,” said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry during an unrelated news conference Tuesday afternoon.
“The vast majority of people who are getting sick with COVID right now have not been immunized,” Henry said. “Less than four per cent of the cases that we’ve had in the last two months have been people who were vaccinated, so we know the vaccine works to protect people.”
One person in the Vancouver Coastal Health region died of COVID-19 over the weekend, bringing the province's pandemic death toll to 1,772.
Since the pandemic began, 41 people have died of COVID-19 in the Island Health region, where 5,307 cases have been recorded.
As of Tuesday, 81.4 per cent of British Columbians aged 12 and older have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 67.3 per cent have received two doses.
B.C. health-care workers have administered 6,902,320 doses of COVID-19 vaccine since the vaccines became available in December.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.