Vancouver Island adds 96 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths in 24 hours
British Columbia health officials identified 96 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Friday.
The new cases were among 405 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours.
There are currently 3,071 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 646 active cases in the Vancouver Island region, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.
Island Health continues to have the second highest number of active cases in B.C., behind the Fraser Health region, where 990 cases are active Friday, according to the province.
Vancouver Island's top doctor told CTV News on Thursday that the island's recent surge in new and active cases was partly caused by a religious gathering in the Courtenay area last week.
Island Health data identified the locations of 577 active cases Friday, including 128 in the South Island, 248 in the Central Island and 201 in the North Island.
Six deaths related to COVID-19 were confirmed in B.C. over the past 24 hours, including two that occurred in the island region.
Three other deaths were reported in Fraser Health and one was in Vancouver Coastal Health.
Since the pandemic began, 2,351 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in B.C., including 124 deaths confirmed in the Island Health region.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, 44 people are in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 14 patients who require critical care.
As of Friday, 85.1 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 81.8 per cent have receive two doses.
Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, people who are not vaccinated accounted for 54 per cent of the province's COVID-19 cases, despite only making up approximately 15 per cent of British Columbians.
From Nov. 18 to Dec. 1, people who are not vaccinated also accounted for 61.4 per cent of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in B.C.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.