Two COVID-19 deaths recorded in Interior Thursday

Two of the five COVID-19 linked deaths in B.C. Thursday were recorded in the Interior, bringing the death toll for the novel coronavirus in the region up to 221.

Two of the other deaths recorded Thursday were in the Fraser Health region, and the other was located in the jurisdiction of Northern Health. A total of 1,915 British Columbians have now died due to COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health also reported 832 new cases across B.C. on Thursday, 164 of which were located in the Interior.

The new cases in the Interior were offset by recoveries though, as active cases in the region fell to 1,192. However, that wasn’t the case for the provincial active case count, which rose to 5,697 Thursday.

The province reports that between Sept. 15 and 21 there were 4,417 new cases identified throughout B.C., and of those cases, 2,996 or 67.8 per cent were unvaccinated individuals, 342 or 7.7 per cent were partially vaccinated, while 1,079 or 24.4 per cent were fully vaccinated.

The province also reported that hospitalizations in B.C. due to COVID-19 rose Thursday to 330, though the number of ICU patients fell to 148. The Interior is home to 55 of those hospitalizations, and 45 of those patients are in ICU.

Provincial data shows that between Sept. 8 and 21 there were 437 British Columbians admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 complications. Of those patients, 327 or 74.8 per cent were not vaccinated, 34 or 7.8 per cent were partially vaccinated, while 76 or 17.4 per cent were fully vaccinated.

The province also notes that the first-dose vaccination rate for residents aged 12 and over rose to 87.3 per cent on Thursday, and that 79.9 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received both jabs.

The Brookhaven Care Centre in the Interior has been declared over, bringing the number of active health-care facility outbreak sites in the region to 12.

• Cottonwoods Care Centre long-term care in Kelowna has 36 cases: 25 residents and 11 staff, with six deaths connected to the outbreak.
• David Lloyd Jones long-term care in Kelowna has 61 cases: 45 residents and 16 staff, with seven deaths connected to the outbreak.
• Village at Mill Creek assisted living/independent living in Kelowna has 13 cases: eight residents and five staff, with two deaths connected tot he outbreak.
• Hardy View Lodge long-term care in Grand Forks has five cases: one resident and four staff.
• Spring Valley Care Centre long-term care in Kelowna has 15 cases: 11 residents and four staff, with three deaths connected tot he outbreak.
• Sun Pointe Village assisted living/independent living in Kelowna has 10 cases: eight residents and two staff, with two deaths connected to the outbreak.
• Kamloops Seniors Village long-term care has 19 cases: 10 residents and nine staff, with one death connected to the outbreak.
• Hillside Village long-term care in Salmon Arm has nine cases: three residents and six staff, with one death connected to the outbreak.
• The Hamlets at Westsyde long-term care in Kamloops has six cases: three residents and three staff.
• Joseph Creek Village long-term care in Cranbrook has 14 cases: nine residents and five staff, with two deaths connected ot the outbreak.
• Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital’s psychiatry unit in Trail has two patient cases.
• Overlander Long-Term Care in Kamloops has four cases: two residents and two staff.