B.C. reports 2,239 new COVID-19 cases over 3 days, along with 18 deaths

Eighteen people in British Columbia have died of COVID-19 over the last three days while the province recorded 2,239 new infections.

There were 876 cases from Friday to Saturday while 657 cases were reported from Saturday to Sunday and 706 from Sunday to Monday.

1:56 Mixed vaccine travel confusion and frustration

Of the new cases, 525 were in the Interior Health region, 256 cases were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 857 were in the Fraser Health region, 230 were in Island Health,  and 358 were in Northern Health.

The seven-day rolling average of B.C.’s positivity rates is 5.4 per cent, according to the BC CDC’s COVID-19 dashboard. Vancouver Coastal Health has B.C.’s lowest positivity rate at 2.9 per cent while the Northern Health region has the highest positivity rate at 16.1 per cent.

2:18 B.C. vaccine card now required for access to many non-essential services

The 18 deaths — three in Fraser Health, five in Interior Health, three in Island Health, six in Vancouver Coastal, and one in Northern Health — bring the province’s COVID-19 death toll to 1,940.

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The number of people in hospital with the disease fell by 16 to 303. Of those patients, 141 are in intensive care, a decrease of eight from Friday.

There are 6,098 active cases in B.C., an increase of more than 100 from Friday.

The province said 80.5 per cent of eligible British Columbians age 12 and older have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine while 87.7 per cent have received at least one dose.

Monday marked the end of the grace period to show B.C.’s vaccine card at some businesses and events.

7:41 How to get and download B.C.’s vaccine card

A vaccine card with a QR code is now the only proof of vaccination accepted by many non-essential services across the province.

When the province’s vaccine passport system took effect on Sept. 13, the province gave people a two-week grace period to download their vaccine card.

2:02 Growing concerns about outbreaks at B.C. schools

Up until Sunday, people could still show several alternative proofs of immunization, including the paper record of immunization they got when they received their COVID-19 immunization.

–with files from Simon Little