Three-month high for COVID-19 case count in British Columbia

VICTORIA – The COVID-19 infection rate in British Columbia has leaped to 536, a figure not seen since mid-May.

A Health Ministry statement says there are more than 3,500 active cases in the province and more than half of those are in the Interior Health region.

New restrictions were introduced last week by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in the central Okanagan region as case counts multiplied, spurred by the more contagious Delta variant.

There has been one more death and outbreaks are increasing in B.C.’s long-term care sector, with the discovery of COVID-19 in eight care homes around the province.

The vaccination rate has reached 82.2 per cent for a single shot for those eligible aged 12 and up, while 71.1 per cent are fully vaccinated.

At a separate news conference, Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix were asked about the federal plan to introduce so-called vaccine passports, and they say they support any measure that encourages people to get immunized.

“Yes, they’re moving forward with a plan for proof of vaccination for international travel and we’re a big part of that, we’re working with them, we support them in that and they support us,” Dix said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2021.