FILE PHOTO - B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix looks on as provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provides an update on COVID-19 on July 6, 2020.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Province of B.C.
May 04, 2021 - 3:33 PM
B.C. health officials are reporting 697 new cases of COVID-19 today, 65 of which are in the Interior Health region.
That raises the provincewide total since the start of the pandemic to 132,353 cases, according to a joint statement issued today, May 4, by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix. Of these, 7,161 are active. There are 486 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, with 173 of whom are in intensive care.
There has also been one new COVID-19 related death, for a total of 1,597 deaths in B.C.
The outbreak at Kelowna's Cottonwoods Care Centre is now over. An outbreak is declared over when two incubation periods, or 28 days, have passed from the last onset of symptoms in a resident. There were 29 cases of COVID-19 linked to the outbreak at Cottonwoods: 26 residents and three staff. Sadly, two residents passed away due to their illness.
To date, 1,910,162 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 92,244 of which are second doses.
"The best way to reserve your vaccine dose is to register on the Get Vaccinated website or by calling 1-833-838-2323. Everyone 18 and older should ensure they do this right away," Henry and Dix said in the joint statement.
"With the additional vaccine supply now available, we are accelerating our vaccine delivery to people throughout the province to get vaccines into arms as soon as possible."
Today, health officials added pregnant persons 16 and older to those who are eligible to book their immunization.
"All Health Canada-approved vaccines are safe and effective, and I encourage everyone to register and receive their vaccine as soon as they are eligible. Today, this includes people who are pregnant," Dr. Henry said in a press release.
"We have reviewed the data herein B.C. and this shows pregnant people experience severe illness from COVID-19 at a rate that is similar to people who are in their 50s. By prioritizing pregnant people today, we add another layer of protection for them, their babies and their communities."
To register call 1-833-383-2323. If you're pregnant inform the person on the call.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Kathy Michaels or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2021