Free COVID rapid test kits now available to B.C. residents over 18

Any B.C. resident over the age of 18 can now pick up a free COVID rapid antigen test kit at participating pharmacies.

The test kits were, originally, only available to those over the age of 70 but as supplies increased the age to access them came down.

Each kit has five test strips, according to a Ministry of Health media release. Additional kits can be picked up every 28 days.

The B.C. Ministry of Health says the number of people in hospital with COVID increased slightly today, March 23, to 258 from 254 yesterday and the number in intensive care increased by one to 49 today.

About half the of people in hospital with a COVID diagnosis were not in there because of COVID but were tested after going to hospital for things like surgery, delivering a baby or being admitted to a mental health unit.

The 269 cases of COVID reported in B.C. in the last 24 hours is up by 10 from yesterday.

Of those new cases, 73 were recorded in the Interior Health region, a drop of three from the number recorded yesterday.

Another 49 cases were in Fraser Health, 51 in Vancouver Coastal, 53 on Vancouver Island and 43 in the Northern Health region.

The real number of cases is estimated to be three to four times higher because many people infected with COVID are not getting tested or take rapid tests that are not included in these figures.

There was one new death recorded in the last 24 hours, in Northern Health, bringing the pandemic total at 2,975.

The vaccination rate for people over the age of 12 with at least one dose remains unchanged at 93.4%, as does the rate for those with at least two doses at 91% along with the 57.1% who have three doses.

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