With 831 people recovering from COVID-19 overnight, and 617 people newly infected, the number of B.C. residents actively battling the virus has fallen to a level last seen on November 13 – eight weeks ago.
There are now 6,118 people in the province with active COVID-19 infections, with the vast majority of those told to self-isolate at home. Of the 358 people with COVID-19 illnesses severe enough to be in hospital, 75 are in intensive care units.
The death toll from the virus in the province is nearing 1,000, with a total of 988 people losing their lives so far, including 18 individuals in the past day.
The percentage of people who have recovered from the virus keeps rising, as more than 85%, or 48,205 people, out of the 56,632 people infected since last January, have had multiple negative tests and are deemed to not be infectious. Health officials are monitoring 8,755 people because those individuals have had an identified exposure to someone known to be carrying the virus.
Health officials continue to vaccinate healthcare workers and seniors in care homes, with 5,195 people vaccinated in the past day, for a total of 46,259 people vaccinated since vaccinations launched on December 16. That daily number is down from the record 7,399 people who were vaccinated the previous day.
"Each day, more of our seniors and elders who live in these [assisted-living or care] homes, as well as the people who care for them, are protected with the vaccine," provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement.
"Our focus is to ensure we safely deliver the vaccines as quickly as possible to communities across the province, using all available supply."
Here is a breakdown of where the 617 new cases were identified:
• 139 people in Vancouver Coastal Health (22.5%);
• 320 people in Fraser Health (51.8%);
• 27 in Island Health (4.3%);
• 81 in Interior Health (13.1%);
• 49 in Northern Health (7.9%); and
• one new case of an individual who resides outside the province.
"We have had no new health-care facility outbreaks, and the outbreaks at Amenida Senior Community, North Peace Seniors Housing, Rotary Manor, Royal Arch Masonic Home and Tabor Home are over," Henry and Dix said.
There are 10 hospitals with active COVID-19 outbreaks. They are:
• St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver;
• Burnaby Hospital in Burnaby;
• Chilliwack General Hospital in Chilliwack;
• Langley Memorial Hospital in Langley;
• Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver;
• Richmond Hospital in Richmond;
• Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge;
• Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey;
• Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver; and
• University Hospital of Northern B.C. in Prince George.
The 11 active outbreaks at seniors' living facilities in Vancouver Coastal Health are at:
• Arbutus Care Centre in Vancouver;
• Braddan Private Hospital in Vancouver;
• Capilano Care Centre in West Vancouver;
• Columbus Residence in Vancouver;
• Fraserview Intermediate Care Lodge in Richmond;
• German Canadian Benevolent Society Home in Vancouver;
• Little Mountain Place in Vancouver;
• Minoru Residence in Richmond;
• Renfrew Care Centre in Vancouver;
• Sunrise of Vancouver in Vancouver; and
• Villa Cathay in Vancouver.
The 25 active outbreaks at seniors' living facilities in Fraser Health are at:
• Agecare Harmony Court Care Centre in Burnaby;
• Baillie House in Maple Ridge;
• Brookside Lodge in Surrey;
• Chartwell Langley Gardens in Langley;
• Evergreen Baptist Care Society in White Rock;
• Fleetwood Villa in Surrey;
• George Derby Centre in Burnaby;
• Good Samaritan Delta View Care Centre in Delta;
• Hilton Villa Seniors Community in Surrey;
• Kin Village in Tsawwassen;
• Lakeshore Care Centre in Coquitlam;
• Langley Memorial Hospital long term care - Cedar Hill in Langley;
• Laurel Place in Surrey;
• Madison Care Centre in Coquitlam;
• Menno Home in Abbotsford;
• Morgan Place Care Facility in Surrey
• Nicola Lodge in Port Coquitlam;
• Peace Arch Hospital Foundation Lodge in White Rock;
• Queen's Park Care Centre in New Westminster;
• Rideau Retirement Residence in Burnaby;
• Royal City Manor in New Westminster;
• St. Michael's Centre Extended Care in Burnaby;
• The Emerald at Elim Village in Surrey;
• The Harrison at Elim Village in Surrey; and
• The Mayfair Seniors Living & Care in Abbotsford.
The two active outbreaks at seniors' living facilities in Northern Health are at Jubilee Lodge in Prince George and Williams Lake Seniors Village in Williams Lake.
The eight active outbreaks at seniors' living facilities in Interior Health are at:
• Creekside Landing in Vernon;
• Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna;
• Heritage Square in Vernon;
• McKinney Place in Oliver;
• Mountainview Village in Kelowna;
• Noric House in Vernon;
• Sunnybank Retirement Home in Oliver; and
• Village by the Station in Penticton.
In Island Health, there is two seniors' facilities with an active outbreak of COVID-19: Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo, and Ts’i’ts’uwatul’ Lelum assisted-living facility in Duncan.
