B.C. Covid update Friday: 722 new cases

May 7, 2021 | 4:36 PM Pete McIntyre

B.C. is reporting 722 new cases of COVID-19 Friday (May 7), including 38 within Interior Health.

That increases B.C.’s overall total to 134,341 cases since the pandemic began, distributed as follows:

32,830 — Vancouver Coastal (up by 115)
77,923 — Fraser Health (up by 523)
4,804 — Island Health (up by 20)
11,287 — Interior Health (up by 38)
7,303 — Northern Health (up by 26)
193 — Reside outside of Canada (unchanged)

There are 6,757 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. Friday, a decrease of 45 from Thursday. There are now 445 people in hospital and 157 in intensive care.

Seven more people have died of the virus, increasing the province’s death toll to 1,602.

A total of 125,799 people are considered fully recovered from the virus, or 94 per cent of all recorded cases.

The province has now administered 2,042,442 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

That works out to 45 per cent of those who are eligible getting at least one dose.

As of today, anyone 49 and older can book their vaccine, and the age-based eligibility will continue to decrease in the coming days.

Interior Health has administered over 335,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine throughout the Interior.

“Across Interior Health, hundreds of people attending their appointments at immunization clinics every day and emerging with a dose of vaccine that will protect them from serious illness or death by COVID-19,” said Interior Health president and CEO Susan Brown. “It’s uplifting to see the excitement of newly vaccinated people.”

The numbers include 320,237 first doses and 16,583 second doses of vaccine to people throughout the Interior region, for a total of 336,820 doses.

Update on outbreaks:

· Sandalwood Retirement Resort independent living in Kelowna has 28 cases: 26 residents and two staff, with one death connected to the outbreak.

· Orchard Haven long-term care in Keremeos has two cases: one resident and one staff.

· Spring Valley long-term care in Kelowna has 33 cases: 23 residents, 10 staff/other, with three deaths connected to the outbreak.