B.C. records 74 COVID-19 deaths over five days along with 2,206 new cases

B.C. reported 2,206 new cases of COVID-19 over the past five days, along with 74 deaths.

There were 512 cases from Thursday to Friday, 447 cases from Friday to Saturday, 424 cases from Saturday to Sunday, 441 from Sunday to Monday and 382 from Monday to Tuesday.

1:55 Encouraging COVID-19 signs following B.C. restrictions

Of the new cases, 378 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,375 in the Fraser Health, 44 in Island Health, 238 in Interior Health, and 171 in Northern Health.

The seven-day rolling average of B.C.’s positivity rates rose to 7.9 per cent.The deaths increased the province’s COVID-19 death toll to 882.

3:15 Dr. Bonnie Henry reports two allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine in 11,930 doses administered

The number of people in hospital with the disease rose by 32 to 373. Of those, 80 patients are in intensive care.

3:27 Health Canada looking at potentially reducing COVID-19 vaccine to a single dose

There are now 7,580 active cases in B.C., a decline of 1,285 from Thursday.

The province’s last update came on Christmas Eve, when it reported 582 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 additional deaths.

Tuesday’s press briefing was the first since officials confirmed the province’s first case of a coronavirus variant first identified in the U.K.

5:30 B.C. officials provide update on first case of COVID-19 variant found in province

The case involves a person in the Island Health region who had recently flown from London to Vancouver on Air Canada flight 855 on Dec. 15, according to a statement from the province.

— With files from Simon Little and The Canadian Press