B.C.’s COVID-19 cases are holding steady, as vaccination rates inch higher.
As of today, 82 percent of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 70.3 percent have gotten their second dose.
The number of first doses rises to 82.9 percent for those 18 and older.
As well, 72.2 percent of eligible B.C. adults are now fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, over a three day period from Friday to Monday, B.C. reported 1,079 new cases, which averages out to just under 360 per day.
There are currently 3,036 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 148,066 people who tested positive have recovered.
Of the active cases, 68 people are in hospital and 20 are in intensive care.
The rest are recovering at home in self-isolation.
The new/active cases include:
- 258 new cases in Fraser Health (total active cases: 586)
- 142 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (total active cases: 387)
- 587 new cases in Interior Health (total active cases: 1,755)
- 30 new cases in Northern Health (total active cases: 108)
- 62 new cases in Island Health (total active cases: 188)
- No new cases of people who reside outside of Canada (total active cases: 12)
As well, in the past 72 hours, five new COVID-related deaths were reported, for an overall total of 1,777.
Four of the five deaths were in the Interior Health Region while one was in Northern Health.
Since December 2020, the Province has administered 7,067,738 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
Wait time for second dose shortened
To address outbreaks and a spike in cases among people who have only one dose, the province will be shortening the gap between first and second-dose appointments, based on vaccine and appointment availability.
Currently, invitations for the second dose go to people 49 days after their first dose.
The province is transitioning toward offering second-dose vaccinations for people as early as 28 days after their first dose.
Starting tonight, invitations to book second-dose appointments will be sent, based on the new 28-day minimum interval.
This timeframe will be the same for those who received Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca for their first dose.
The province says receiving a second dose earlier is particularly important in high-transmission communities.
The recommendation from public health for those not living or working in high-transmission communities continues to be to wait six to eight weeks after the first dose to receive the second dose.
Every person is recommended to get fully vaccinated with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community.
