Three COVID-19 deaths recorded in Interior as active cases rise to 1,828

The active COVID-19 cases in the Interior are once again on the rise, climbing to 1,828 after 253 new cases were recorded in the region Friday.

The new cases were part of 820 recorded across the province, and British Columbia’s active case count increased to 5,850.

Hospitalizations also rose Friday to 281, up 19 from the previous day, and 135 of those patients are in intensive care.

The province also reported nine new deaths on Friday, three of which were in the Interior Health region. A total of 1,856 British Columbians have now died due to COVID-19 complications.

There were no new health-care facility outbreaks recorded Friday, but 13 of the 22 active outbreak sites remain in effect in the Interior.

·        Brookhaven Care Centre in West Kelowna has 17 cases: 10 residents and seven staff, with three deaths connected to the outbreak.

·        Cottonwoods Care Centre long-term care in Kelowna has 29 cases: 19 residents and 10 staff, with six deaths connected to the outbreak.

·        David Lloyd Jones long-term care in Kelowna has 55 cases: 41 residents and 14 staff, with seven deaths connected to the outbreak.

·        Village at Mill Creek assisted living/independent living in Kelowna has nine cases: five residents and four staff with one death connected to the outbreak.

·        Nicola Meadows assisted living/independent living in Merritt has seven cases: four residents and three staff, with one death connected to the outbreak.

·        Hardy View Lodge long-term care in Grand Forks has two cases: one resident and one staff.

·        Spring Valley Care Centre long-term care in Kelowna has 14 cases: 10 residents and four staff, with two deaths connected to the outbreak.

·        Sun Pointe Village assisted living/independent living in Kelowna has eight resident cases, with one death connected to the outbreak.

·        Rose Wood Village long-term care in Trail has two resident cases.

·        Kamloops Seniors Village long-term care has 15 cases: nine residents and six staff, with one death connected to the outbreak.

·        Hillside Village long-term care in Salmon Arm has seven cases: three resident and four staff.

·        The Hamlets at Westsyde long-term care in Kamloops has five cases: three residents and two staff.

·        Joseph Creek Village long-term care in Cranbrook has 13 cases: eight residents and five staff.

The provincial first dose vaccination rate for British Columbians age 12 and over rose to 85.5 per cent Friday, while the second dose rate climbed to 78 per cent.

Figures from the province show that between Sept. 2 and 8 there were 4,661 new cases, and that the unvaccinated accounted for 3,252 or 69.8 per cent of those cases. The partially vaccinated made up 8.6 per cent or 402 of those cases, while the remaining 1,007 or 21.6 per cent were fully vaccinated individuals.

Looking at the 358 COVID-19 hospitalizations recorded between Aug. 26 and Sept. 8, 292, or 81.6 per cent of those patients, were not vaccinated, 18 individuals, or five per cent, were partially vaccinated, while the remaining 48 patients, or 13.4 per cent, were fully vaccinated.

The province notes that after factoring for age, people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 are 35 times more likely to be hospitalized due to complications from the virus than the fully-vaccinated.