BC reports more than 2,150 new COVID cases and 15 deaths

British Columbia health officials have reported 2,174 new cases and 15 deaths from COVID-19 since the last update on April 30.

There were 835 new cases from Friday to Saturday, 671 new cases from Saturday to Sunday, and 668 new cases were identified from Sunday to Monday.

Officials also announced that one of the weekend deaths was someone on Vancouver Island.

The number of confirmed cases in British Columbia has risen to 131,656, and the state’s death toll is currently 1,596.

Of the new cases, 438 were recorded in Vancouver Coastal Health, 1,509 in Fraser Health, 61 in Island Health, 106 in Interior Health, and 60 in Northern Health.

Currently, there are 7,327 cases active in the state, of which 474 are in the intensive care unit and may be exposed to specific cases, so 11,781 are under active public health surveillance.

A total of 122,518 people in British Columbia have recovered from COVID-19 and have been vaccinated more than 1.87 million times throughout the state.

In a live update on Monday, state health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that anyone over the age of 18 in British Columbia can now register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. She also announced this month that more than a million vaccines will arrive in the state. This means more needles on people’s arms.

“We have reached a new point of encouragement in this vaccine supply. Starting today, the vaccines we receive will increase significantly. In May, one million times available to people throughout the state. I’m going to get these vaccines, which is good news for all of us, “she said.

Henry also said the state is considering the idea of ​​reducing the interval between first and second doses to less than 16 weeks for more people. She also said that the goal is to give everyone the first dose by Canada Day, although some problems may occur along the way.

“In a sense, we’ve been building spacecraft in flight, and now we’re in a new era, with new warp speeds. Bumps can occur along the way. Adjust “She said, adding later. “We will address those glitches.”

COVID infection slowly diminishes in BC

A top British Columbia doctor also said on Monday that the state’s daily infections are high but have been declining slowly in the past few weeks. She likened how the virus spreads on roads with “too many” forks.

“It’s like a path with many forks on the road,” Henry said. “We know that some people can infect others and continue to do so, and with this virus, one person can infect many others. We know that there are specific situations and specific environmental conditions that make it possible. “

The latter, which Henry called a superspreading event where one person infects multiple people, seems to occur more often, which is why authorities are focusing on reducing such situations. Said. However, she said they appear to be declining while cases are increasing, and British Columbia citizens need to continue to follow the rules to prevent further infections.

“It will take some time before new cases disappear, but we need to work little by little to stop the chain of these infections and stop their potential to spread to many people. “She said. “What we are doing is making a difference and we need to keep the line and keep it for the next few weeks. I don’t want to climb up anymore.”

Island health

Vancouver Island currently has 265 active cases, according to data available on the BCCDC dashboard.

Currently, active cases are at the lowest level since mid-March.

Currently, 15 people are hospitalized for the coronavirus, 5 of whom are receiving critical care. It is also worth noting that hospitalizations on the island have decreased by about 45% over the past week.

A total of 604 new COVID tests have been performed over the last 24 hours, with 14,352 doses administered since the last update of the state on April 30.

On Vancouver Island, 4,726 cases were reported, 38 died, 229 were hospitalized and 4,416 recovered.

Nearly 300,000 vaccines have been given on Vancouver Island, most of which are first doses.

Meanwhile, Island Health reported 212 active cases on Vancouver Island in its latest dashboard update.

Of these active cases, 111 are on the South Island, 83 on the Central Island, and 18 on the North Island.

Island Health data often lags behind BCCDC data due to “differences in reporting timing between laboratory and public health data sources.”

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