B.C. health officials reported eight new COVID-19 deaths in the past day, raising the province's death toll to 2,953.
There had been optimism that the death count from COVID-19 would be on the wane, given that yesterday no new deaths were recorded in a 24-hour period for the first time in two weeks.
Ages for those who died were not provided.
The deaths included:
• two in Fraser Health;
• four in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Coastal Health;
• one in Northern Health; and
• one in Island Health.
One death previously identified as being someone with COVID-19 has been removed from the province's tally because of a data correction, according to B.C.'s Ministry of Health.
Some good news was that the number of those known to have COVID-19 while in hospital has declined in each of the past 26 data updates, and is now 329 – down 16 from yesterday. Of those, 51 are in intensive care units (ICUs).
One new outbreak at a health-care facility is at Surrey Memorial Hospital, raising the number of active outbreaks in health-care facilities or seniors' homes to nine.
Health officials detected 235 new infections in the past day. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, however, has told vaccinated people with mild symptoms to not get tested so as to free up tests for those who are more vulnerable. As a result she has called the daily case counts "not accurate."
The B.C. government on Feb. 10 stopped providing data for active infections, and the number of those considered to have recovered from COVID-19.
It still provides what it says is the province's cumulative total for infections: 353,139.
Vaccinations have helped prevent some infections, while making other infections less severe.
In total, 4,523,491 eligible B.C. residents have had at least one dose of vaccine, while 4,326,146 are considered fully vaccinated with two doses, and 2,630,945 have had three doses.
Recent Statistics Canada data counted 5,000,879 residents in B.C.
Glacier Media's calculation therefore is that slightly more than 90.4 per cent of B.C.'s total population has had at least one dose of vaccine, and more than 86.5 per cent of the province's total population has had two doses. More than 52.6 per cent have had their booster doses. •
