COVID-19 update: B.C. reports 3,795 cases as hospitalizations climb
CTV
Another 3,795 cases of COVID-19 and three related deaths have been recorded across British Columbia, the province announced Friday in its last pandemic update of 2021.
Another 3,795 cases of COVID-19 and three related deaths have been recorded across British Columbia, the province announced Friday in its last pandemic update of 2021.
The latest numbers from the Ministry of Health pushed B.C.'s seven-day average for COVID-19 infections to a new record high of 2,738 per day. That's more than quadruple what the average was just two weeks ago, and case numbers are believed to be severely under-reported due to limits in testing capacity.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry recently advised fully vaccinated British Columbians who are not considered high-risk and are only experiencing mild symptoms to forego testing, and instead assume they have the virus and begin self-isolation.
Even with testing centres overwhelmed, the province has repeatedly broken all-time records for daily case increases in the weeks since the Omicron variant was first detected in the Lower Mainland.
B.C.'s active case count has also set a new record for eight days in a row, and topped 20,000 for the first time on Friday. There are now 20,811 active cases across the province.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has increased by 27 patients over 48 hours, following weeks with only minor fluctuations. The ministry said there are now 220 infectious COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals, including 73 in intensive care.
That's still a far cry from the province's all-time record of 515 hospitalizations recorded back in April, at the height of the third wave.
The leaders of some municipalities in the London region are expressing apprehension that they may be about to lose control over major environmental and development concerns in their communities.
A sprawling low-pressure system will combine with the return of some colder air in the Maritimes to create a very icy situation for parts of the region Wednesday into Thursday. This comes on the heels of a very warm Tuesday that saw high temperature records broken in the Maritimes.
Premier Doug Ford says that the shooting of the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto is “absolutely unacceptable” and he is warning that those responsible will “face the full extent of the law.”
The city will be shutting down a portion of Meadowlark Road starting March 17 for construction on the Valley Line West LRT.
A school in High River, Alta., was evacuated on Tuesday due to a bomb threat.
Pokémon cards were the focus of a gang who turned up at an Abbotsford, B.C., collectibles store on Friday — but they weren’t there to play.
The partial remains of two First World War soldiers from Edmonton, along with 10 other Canadian soldiers, have been returned by a museum in Philadelphia.
A petition looking to oust Alberta Premier Danielle Smith from her seat in the legislature has failed.
Anita Anand says more than 7,000 Canadians have left the Middle East since the latest conflict began.
American duties on Canadian softwood lumber and the ban of American alcohol by B.C. will be on the table when Premier David Eby meets the U.S. ambassador to Canada in Victoria today.
A petition looking to oust Alberta Premier Danielle Smith from her seat in the legislature has failed.
The lawyer for one of the men charged in the drive-by shooting of a 15-year-old girl in Montreal has told a jury his client should be found guilty of manslaughter, not murder.
A freezing rain warning now covers a significant portion of eastern Ontario and southern Quebec, with Environment Canada saying a “prolonged period” of freezing rain, potentially lasting up to 24 hours, could affect the region this week.