Vancouver Island adds 57 cases of COVID-19 as Omicron variant detected in B.C.
Another 57 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Vancouver Island region Tuesday.
The new cases were among 358 cases confirmed across the province over the past 24 hours.
There are currently 2,889 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 539 active cases in the Island Health region, according to the Health Ministry.
Island Health data identified the locations of 471 active cases Tuesday, including 106 in the South Island, 212 in the Central Island and 153 in the North Island.
Meanwhile, 54 people are in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 15 patients who require critical care, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Health officials say no new COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in B.C. over the past 24 hours.
Since the pandemic began, 2,333 people have died of the illness in British Columbia, including 119 deaths reported in the Island Health region.
VACCINATION EFFORTS
As of Tuesday, 84.8 per cent of British Columbians aged five and older have received one doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 81.7 per cent have received two doses.
The province began administering vaccines to children aged five to 11 on Monday.
Between Nov. 22 and 28, people who are not fully vaccinated accounted for 58.2 per cent of new COVID-19 cases, despite making up less than 10 per cent of the province's population, according to the Health Ministry.
From Nov. 15 to 28, this same group made up 65.9 per cent of hospitalizations related to COVID-19.
OMICRON VARIANT
Earlier Tuesday, health officials announced that the province's first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant had been confirmed.
The variant was identified in someone who lives in the Fraser Health region who had recently travelled to Nigeria.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the person is isolating and that there is no indication of widespread transmission of the variant in B.C.
With files from CTV News Vancouver
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.