Active COVID-19 cases continue to climb in the Interior

COVID-19 cases in the Interior are trending in the wrong direction.

For the second consecutive day, active cases climbed in the Interior reaching 585 Friday as 97 new cases were confirmed in the region.

The cases were part of 405 throughout B.C., which also brought the provincial active case count up to 3,071.

There were also six deaths reported across B.C., though none were located in the Interior. A total of 2,351 British Columbians have now died due to the virus.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in B.C. did decrease Friday. The week ended with 276 patients in hospital due to complications from the virus, 95 of whom were in intensive care.

B.C.’s vaccination rates saw slight gains Friday, as 85.1 per cent of British Columbians over the age of five have received their first dose, and 81.8 per cent have been double-dosed.

Additionally, 91.2 per cent of British Columbians over the age of 12 have received their first dose, 88 per cent have received two shots, and 10 per cent have gotten a booster.

The province notes that 54 per cent of new cases in the past week and 61.4 per cent of hospitalizations over a two-week period were people who had not received a COVID-19 vaccine. The fully vaccinated accounted for 42 per cent of new cases and 34.1 per cent of hospitalizations over those same time periods.

Ponderosa Lodge in the Interior was added to the province’s health-care facility outbreak site, while one in Northern Health was declared over. A total of five sites are considered active outbreaks in the province.