B.C. Covid cases hit two-month high

Mar 19, 2021 | 4:18 PM Pete McIntyre

B.C. has recorded its highest daily Covid-19 case count in more than two months.

The province announced 737 cases on Friday, the highest number since Jan. 7, raising the total to 90,786.

The majority of the new cases were in the Lower Mainland with 426 in Fraser Health and 126 in Vancouver Coastal Health.

Interior Health had 33 new cases, with 32 in Island Health, 82 in Northern Health and one new case of a person who resides outside of Canada.

There have been two new Covid-related deaths, for a total of 1,421 deaths in B.C.

There are 5,207 active cases in the province, with 9,412 people under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases. A further 84,078 people who tested positive are considered recovered.

Of the active cases, 292 people are in hospital, with 85 in intensive care.

There have been 68 new confirmed cases that are variants of concern, for a total of 1,200 cases. Of the total cases, 149 are active. The total includes 1,094 cases of the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant, 41 cases of the B.1.351 (South Africa) variant and 65 cases of the P.1 (Brazil) variant.

To date, 490,022 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-SII vaccines have been administered in B.C., 87,139 of which are second doses.

Today, vaccine appointment bookings are open for people over 80. Starting tomorrow (Mar. 20), people 79 and older and Indigenous peoples over 55 will also be able to book an appointment.