B.C.’s COVID-19 cases are trending in a better direction.
The province reported 572 new cases today.
That’s the fewest in over a month-and-a-half.
There’s also some good news on the vaccination front with the approval of the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine for children as young as 12.
Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says as more people become eligible and more vaccines are approved, the province will continue to update its provincewide program – including adding children in the 12 to 17 age group.
Of today’s new cases, 22 were on Vancouver Island and 118 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, including the Sunshine Coast.
As well, there have been no new COVID-19 related deaths, and the outbreaks at Craigdarroch Care Home and Acropolis Manor are now over.
Meanwhile, of the active cases across B.C., 481 people are in hospital with the virus, 161 of whom are in intensive care.
To date, 1,943,230 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 93,656 of which are second doses.
“We have three highly effective and safe vaccines available in our province, and the more people who receive their vaccine, the faster we will get to the point where COVID-19 is no longer disrupting our daily lives,” Dr. Henry said.
“With additional supply now available, we’re accelerating our delivery and we also need you to do your part. We all need to register to reserve our spot and book our vaccine as soon as we are eligible.
She added that getting vaccinated when it is our turn, using our layers of protection, staying small and local, and following all of the public health measures is what “will see us through this storm.”
