Vancouver Island reports 1 new COVID-19 death, 61 more cases

Victoria -

B.C. health officials have identified 61 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Tuesday.

Across the province, 560 cases of COVID-19 were discovered over the past 24 hours, including the cases found in the island region.

There are currently 4,913 active cases of COVID-19 across B.C., including 516 active cases in the Vancouver Island region, according to the B.C. ministry of health.

Island Health data identified the locations of 433 active cases Tuesday, including 184 in the South Island, 205 in the Central Island and 44 in the North Island.

Five deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded in the province on Tuesday, according to health officials, including one death that occurred in the Island Health region.

Two other deaths were reported in the Northern Health region, and two more were reported in the Fraser Health region.

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, 47 people are in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 in the Island Health region, including 29 patients who require critical care.

Since the pandemic began, 2,086 people have died of the illness in B.C., including 84 deaths reported in the Island Health region.

TWO-DOSE VACCINE REQUIREMENTS

Earlier Tuesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Arian Dix announced that proof of two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine would be required to access some non-essential activities.

Starting Oct. 25, British Columbians will need to have received two doses of a vaccine and present their BC Vaccine Card in order to access indoor events, such as sports games, concerts, movies and private indoor gatherings, such as weddings and funerals.

As the new requirement comes into effect, the province says it will remove its current restriction of 50 per cent capacity for these organized indoor events.

Capacity limits, however, do remain in place where regional health orders are active, such as in some Northern, Interior, and Fraser East regions.

As of Tuesday, 89.2 per cent of British Columbians aged 12 and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.5 per cent of eligible residents have received two doses.

In total, the province has administered 8,073,677 doses of vaccine since it began its vaccination efforts in December 2020.