587 new COVID cases in B.C.; 60 in Interior Health

New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to gradually decline in B.C.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reported today, May 13, that 587 new cases were recorded in the province in the last 24 hours, 60 of them in the Interior Health region.

In order to keep the downward trend going, B.C. residents will have to continue following lockdown rules and get vaccinated, she said.

She also talked about the number of people who have become infected with COVID-19 after being vaccinated, noting that it takes at least two weeks for the vaccine to take good effect.

Out of 79,480 cases of COVID-19 between Dec. 27 and May 13, there have been 1,340 people infected who had one dose of vaccine.

That’s 1.7 per cent of those cases with 120 of the people who have been infected have had two doses.

“There have definitely been infections,” Dr. Henry said. “Even after two doses they are not 100 per cent protected.”

Of the 1,340 people infected with COVID after having at least one dose of vaccine, 141 were hospitalized, 13 went to intensive care and 30 people died. Of those who died, four had two doses of vaccine.

That means lockdown measures will continue for now.

“We will not see any changes until after the May long weekend and even then it will not be flicking the switch, it will be gradually increasing the light,” Dr. Henry said. Details of how that will work will be released after that long weekend.

She would not say what percentage of B.C. residents need to be vaccinated before things like mask rules can be eased, but noted masks are not needed in most outdoors situations.

“When you’re outside, as long as you are not in a large group together talking to people, masks are optional,” she said.

It is almost impossible to get infected by walking or running by someone outside, even if they are quite close, she said, but wearing masks makes sense if a person is walking on a crowded sidewalk.

Of the new cases, 365 were in the Fraser Health region, 126 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 21 in the Vancouver Island Health region and 15 in the Northern Health region.

There were five more deaths, bringing the provincial total to 1,632.

There are 5,691 active cases in B.C. with 413 people in hospital, 141 of whom are in intensive care.

Dr. Henry said she is no longer reporting on the number of people being actively monitored because it is time consuming to collect that information and it’s not particularly accurate.

Tomorrow, May 14, those 25 and over can start booking vaccination appointments. Those 20 and over can start on Saturday and those 18 and older on Sunday.

More than 50 per cent of B.C. residents have had at least one dose of the vaccines.

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

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