694 new COVID-19 cases in B.C.; 52 in Interior Health

The number of people being infected with COVID-19 each day continues at a high rate in B.C. with 694 new cases in the last 24 hours. Of those 52 were in the Interior Health region.

This comes as the vaccination process reaches a milestone.

At some time today, May 6, B.C. will administer its two-millionth dose of vaccine, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a news briefing.

“With the vaccines we’ve been receiving this week, we’re now at the point that we can move down the age groups very quickly,” she said, noting those aged 49 and older can now book vaccination appointments.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said the age for booking will drop “precipitously” in the coming days and weeks.

There is also a decline in the number of people in hospital and intensive care, Dr. Henry said, noting “this is a tremendous relief to us.”

Still, Dix said, there are still far too many people in hospital with COVID, meaning some non-essential surgeries have been cancelled in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island, but none in the Interior Health region.

There are now 457 people in hospitals with 154 in intensive care.

One person, a resident of Interior Health, died in the last 24 hours, bringing the pandemic total in B.C. to 1,595.

There are 6,802 active cases in B.C. right now and a total of 133,619 people have been infected.

Of the new cases, 445 were in the Fraser Health region, 153 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 17 in the Vancouver Island Health region and 27 in the Northern Health region.

A woman in her 40s from the Lower Mainland suffered a blood clot five or six days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. She is in hospital in stable condition, Dr. Henry said.

Register for vaccinations at the Get Vaccinated website here or by calling 1-833-838-2323.

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