Vancouver Island adds 57 cases of COVID-19 as Omicron variant detected in B.C.
Victoria -
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
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