British Columbia’s COVID-19 case count trended downward again Thursday, with 153 new cases and four additional deaths reported.
It brought the seven-day average for new cases down to 161, as vaccination rates in the province continued to climb.
The update came as the province unveiled new COVID-19 modelling that showed promising trends heading into the summer.
Of the new cases, 21 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 73 were in the Fraser Health region, 11 were in the Vancouver Island health region, 39 were in the Interior Health region and nine were in the Northern Health region.
Active cases dropped again to 1,910.
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital fell to 176 — the fewest since Nov. 15, 2020 — while the number of people in critical or intensive care ticked slightly upward to 49.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said that scheduled surgeries had resumed at all Metro Vancouver hospital, following postponements amid the pandemic’s third wave.
Ninety-three surgeries were postponed in the Vancouver Coastal Health region between May 31 and June 6, while no surgeries were postponed in any other health authority.
Nearly 3.38 million British Columbians, or more than 65 per cent of B.C.’s population, have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
More than 443,000 of those, or 8.6 per cent of B.C.’s population, have also received a second dose.
The province reported a record 53,298 new second doses Thursday and 20,047 new first doses.
B.C. has reported 145,996 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, while 1,729 people have died.