Vancouver Island reports 475 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths

B.C. health officials have confirmed 475 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Island region Friday.

The new cases were among 3,144 cases found across the province over the past 24 hours.

There are now 33,184 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including a record-setting 3,906 active cases in the Island Health region, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.

Fifty-nine people are currently in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 13 patients in critical care, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

Nine deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in the province Friday, including two in the island region.

Since the pandemic began, 2,439 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 147 in the Island Health region.

B.C. VACCINE UPDATE

As of Friday, 88.5 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.1 per cent have received two doses.

Across the province, 25.2 per cent of eligible B.C. residents have received three doses of vaccine Friday.

Over the last week, people who are fully vaccinated accounted for most new cases of COVID-19 in the province.

According to the Ministry of Health, fully vaccinated people made up 82.8 per cent of confirmed cases in B.C. between Dec. 30 and Jan. 5.

Meanwhile, people who are not fully vaccinated accounted for 17.1 per cent of cases over the same period.

However, health officials say that vaccination, in general, protects people from severe illness when they are infected with COVID-19.

Speaking at a live update Friday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said "the illness is very mild" for people who are fully vaccinated.

She also reiterated that the isolation period for people who are fully vaccinated has been brought down to five days, instead of seven, so long as they are no longer feeling symptoms and do not have a fever.

"If you have those mild symptoms, whether it’s a runny nose or cough, and you've been out in connection with other people, it's very likely you have COVID," she said.

"What you need to do is stay at home and stay away from other people."

At the same briefing, Health Minister Adrian Dix said test positivity rates were high but stable in B.C.

He said test positivity was about 24 per cent over the past week, up from roughly three percent in early December.

BACK TO SCHOOL

B.C. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside joined health officials for a live update on students' return to the K-12 system on Monday.

Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside said that several additional health measures are in place, such as mandatory mask use and staggered class times, to limit the spread of COVID-19 at schools.

Another shipment of COVID-19 rapid tests is also expected to arrive in B.C. next week, and health officials say many of those test kits will be reserved for teachers and staff at schools.

B.C.'s top doctor also announced a new health order Friday that requires businesses to implement COVID-19 safety plans, similar to what was required in the early days of the pandemic.