Vancouver Island adds record-breaking 202 COVID-19 cases as new health orders announced

B.C. health officials identified 202 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Tuesday, a new single-day record for the health authority.

The new cases were among 1,308 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.

There are currently 6,348 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 1,116 active cases in the Island Health region.

Island Health data identified the locations of 875 of the active cases Tuesday, including 494 in the South Island, 196 in the Central Island and 185 in the North Island.

Forty people are currently in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 15 patients who require critical care, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

Health officials say 756 cases of the Omicron variant of concern have been confirmed in B.C. as of Tuesday.

Of those cases, 413 are in Vancouver Coastal Health, 204 are in Island Health, 129 are in Fraser Health, eight are in Interior Health and two are in Northern Health.

NEW HEALTH ORDERS

Tuesday's case update comes after health officials announced new health restrictions around indoor gatherings and the closure of bars, nightclubs and other events beginning Wednesday.

Gyms will also be closed into January, and restaurant capacity is being limited to six people per table.

At the live update, health officials also outlined the province's plans to ramp up rapid testing in B.C.

Over the past 24 hours, one COVID-19 death was reported in B.C. in the Northern Health region.

Since the pandemic began, 2,402 people have died of the illness in British Columbia, including 136 reported in the island region.

As of Tuesday, 87.5 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 82.7 per cent have received two doses.