COVID-19 numbers in the Interior heading back down

The active COVID-19 case count for the Interior fell to 537 Wednesday, Dec.1, as 69 new cases were confirmed in the region.

The new cases were part of 375 across B.C., and as of Wednesday, there were 2,936 active COVID-19 cases in the province.

Hospitalizations in B.C. due to the virus rose by one, to 301. There were 98 COVID patients in intensive care, which is a decline of six from the day before.

Seven deaths were also reported in B.C., three in the Fraser Health region, three on the Island, and one in Vancouver Coastal Health’s jurisdiction. To date 2,340 British Columbians have died due to COVID-19 complications.

The province’s vaccination rates for eligible British Columbians aged 5 and over rose to 84.8 per cent for first doses and 81.7 per cent for second jabs.

The rates for people aged 12 and over were 91.2 per cent for first doses, 87.9 per cent for second shots, and 9 per cent for booster doses.

It’s also noted that 91.6 per cent of B.C. adults have received a first jab, 88.4 per cent have received their second shot, and 10 per cent have had a booster.

The Ministry of Health says 54.3 per cent of new cases confirmed in the past week were unvaccinated, compared to the 41.8 per cent of cases in fully vaccinated people.

Hospitalizations due the virus had similar proportions. Over the past two weeks 64 per cent of COVID patients were unvaccinated, while 31.8 per cent were double-dosed.

There were no new health-care facility outbreak sites identified Wednesday. A total of five sites are listed as outbreak locations, none of which are based in the Interior.