B.C. Covid update Monday: 1,425 new cases, eight deaths

Feb 22, 2021 | 4:51 PM Pete McIntyre

There were 1,428 new cases of COVID-19 in British Columbia over the weekend, or an average of 476 a day.

That includes 504 new cases on Saturday, 475 on Sunday and 449 on Monday.

New case counts by health region

358 Vancouver Coastal
805 Fraser Health
99 Island Health
67 Interior Health
99 Northern Health

There are 28 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants in B.C., for a total of 101 cases and two cases of variants that are under investigation. Of the total number of cases, four are active and the remaining 97 have now recovered.

“This includes 81 B.1.1.7 (UK), 20 B.1.31 (South Africa) and two B.1.525 (Nigeria) variants, the latter of which is under investigation. Of these confirmed cases, 58 are in Fraser Health, 38 are in Vancouver Coastal Health, four are in Island Heath and three are in the Interior Health regions,” said a statement from Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

“It is important to know that while these COVID-19 variants of concern have shown to transmit more easily, the measures we take to stop the spread are exactly the same as what we have been doing since the start of the pandemic. This is the case whether at work, at school or at home,” Henry and Dix stated.

There have been eight new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,335 deaths.

There have been two new health-care facility outbreaks at Vancouver General Hospital and Kelowna General Hospital. The outbreaks at Royal Inland Hospital, Abbotsford Regional Hospital, Eagle Ridge Manor and Carrington Place Retirement Residence in Vernon are over.

There are 4,560 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, with 7,768 people under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 71,313 people who tested positive have recovered.

Of the active cases, 223 individuals are hospitalized, 63 in intensive care.

To date, 218,726 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 55,057 of which are second doses.

Update on Interior Health outbreaks:

· The Florentine in Merritt has two resident cases.

· Highridge/Singh House group home in Kamloops has 13 cases: five residents and eight staff.

· Westsyde Care Residence group home in Kamloops has 30 cases: 17 residents and 13 staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.

· Brocklehurst Gemstone long-term care in Kamloops has 32 cases: 24 residents and eight staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.

· Creekside Landing long-term care in Vernon has 40 cases: 25 residents and 15 staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.

· Noric House long-term care in Vernon has 67 cases: 39 residents and 28 staff, with 10 deaths connected to this outbreak.