British Columbia reported 72 new cases of COVID-19 and two additional deaths, ahead of the last weekend before the province is expected to move to Step 3 of its pandemic reopening plan.
The reported numbers brought the seven-day average for new cases in B.C. down to 74.
In a written statement, health officials said the number of active cases had fallen to 1,096.
Get weekly health news
Of the new cases, 24 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 29 were in the Fraser Health region, four were in the Island Health region, 13 were in the Interior Health region and two were in the Northern Health region.
Read more: COVID-19: B.C. reports 75 new cases, three more deaths; one in four adults now fully vaccinated
There were 108 people in hospital, 37 of whom were in critical or intensive care.
More than 3.53 million British Columbians, about 68.6 of the province’s population, and 77.6 per cent of adults, have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
More than 1.16 million people, about 22.6 per cent of B.C.’s population and nearly 27 per cent of all adults have been fully vaccinated with two doses.
The province is expected to enter Step 3 of its reopening plan on Canada Day on Thursday. The province’s criteria for that move was that 70 per cent of adults in B.C. had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, along with declining hospitalization and low case counts.
Under Step 3, the province would “return to usual for indoor and outdoor personal gatherings,” while some larger indoor and outdoor events would also be allowed with COVID-19 safety plans.
Read more: B.C. health officials discourage ‘brand shopping,’ say Moderna and Pfizer are ‘the same vaccines’
Group limits would also be removed for indoor and outdoor dining, with casinos and nightclubs allowed to reopen with limited capacity.
B.C. has reported 147,418 total cases since the start of the pandemic and 1,749 deaths.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.