B.C. reports 165 new COVID-19 cases, no additional deaths

Another 165 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in B.C. on Tuesday, along with no new deaths.

Of the new cases, 30 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 78 were in the Fraser Health region, 10 were in Island Health, 42 were in Interior Health, and five were in Northern Health.

The province has recorded fewer than 200 cases in seven of the last eight days.

The seven-day average of daily cases is 175, the lowest since Oct. 20, 2020.

2:35 Behind the scenes: Despite dropping numbers, B.C. COVID hospital wards still busy

The number of people in hospital with the disease rose by four to 203, while the number of patients in intensive care declined by six to 57.

B.C.’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 1,722.

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There are 2,051 active cases in the province. There have been a total of 145,695 COVID-19 cases in B.C. since the start of the pandemic.

The province reported that 74.2 per cent of all adults in B.C. and 71.9 per cent of those 12 and older have now received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 3,685,340 doses of vaccine have been administered in B.C., 345,508 of which are second doses.

B.C. could move to Step 2 of the province’s COVID-19 restart plan as early as June 15.

When asked about the prospect of B.C. relaxing restrictions, deputy provincial health officer Dr. Réka Gustafson said recent data looked promising.

“Cases are declining, hospitalizations are declining, critical care admissions are declining, and mortality has remained low throughout this third wave of the pandemic,” Gustafson said Monday.

“All of the indicators are in the right direction. So this is very, very encouraging.”

1:40 Is B.C. on track for second stage of COVID-19 restart plan?

Gustafson said B.C. may soon be moving from mounting an emergency response against COVID-19 to managing it as another communicable disease through local public health-care providers.

“What we can look forward to as an immunized population is that COVID-19 will become one of these communicable diseases,” she said.

“It also means the public health teams can return to some of the other equally important work that keeps us well. To prevent overdoses, to prevent injuries and to reduce health inequities in our population.

“We are on a good path to get back to work, to university, to seeing friends and travelling, resuming all of those connections that are so important to all of us.”

— With files from Amy Judd and The Canadian Press