77 new COVID cases in Interior Health

Interior Health recorded 77 of the 341 new COVID cases in B.C. in the last 24 hours.

There were 100 new cases in Fraser Health, 68 on Vancouver Island, 65 in Vancouver Coastal and 31 in Northern Health, according to a Ministry of Health news release issued today, Nov. 26.

There were six more deaths but none in Interior Health. The provincial death toll now stands at 2,322.

There are 3,035 active cases in B.C. with 291 people in hospital, 115 of whom are in intensive care.

The vaccination rate remains unchanged at 91% for those 12 years and older with at least one dose. The rate moved up slightly, to 87.6%, for those with two doses.

READ MORE: Most Canadian kids will be exposed to COVID within the year: CMA president

In December, Interior Health will set up “whole community” vaccination clinics in rural and remote communities for people 18 and over getting booster shots and for children aged five to 11 getting their first pediatric shots. People needing a first or second dose can book appointments or drop into those clinic as well.

People in those communities will be notified when to start booking appointments but they should be registered on the Get Vaccinated B.C. website here.

Clinics in Merritt and Princeton have been postponed indefinitely because of flooding in those communities.

Provincial health officials say they fully support the federal government’s decision to close the borders to people coming from seven African countries because of the new Omicron variant that has triggered a rapid spread of COVID there.

READ MORE: New 'Omicron' variant prompts Canada to ban visitors from southern Africa

Those countries are South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia and eSwatini.

No cases of the new variant of concern have yet been detected in B.C. or Canada.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submitphotos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.