Progress on controlling the spread of COVID-19 found more success in B.C. on November 24, with the fewest new and active cases, and hospitalizations in months.
Health officials detected 322 new infections in the past 24, which is the lowest number since August 9. Fewer new infections than recoveries helped push the number of people actively battling the disease to 3,015 – the lowest number since August 6.
The new cases include:
• 100 in Fraser Health;
• 50 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 86 in Interior Health;
• 44 in Northern Health; and
• 42 in Island Health.
The active cases include:
• 1,095 in Fraser Health;
• 472 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• 606 in Interior Health;
• 415 in Northern Health;
• 421 in Island Health; and
• six people who normally live outside B.C.
Serious infections declined, with 318 COVID-19 patients recovering in hospitals – the lowest number since September 28. Of those, 109 people are in intensive care units.
Unfortunately, the number of deaths spiked up to nine overnight, from one yesterday. There are 2,313 people known to have died from COVID-19 in B.C. since the first death such death in Canada was recorded on March 9, 2020, at North Vancouver's Lynn Valley Care Centre.
The new deaths include:
• three in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• one in Interior Health; and
• five in Northern Health.
Of the 216,334 people known to have contracted COVID-19 in the province, 210,828 are thought to have recovered.
The B.C. government's usually considers COVID-19 patients to have recovered if they have gone 10 days following first feeling symptoms, as they are therefore deemed to no longer be infectious. Some patients, however, continue to have health problems for months after their recoveries.
Another 1,610 British Columbians received their first vaccination in the past day, while 2,954 others received needed second doses. That raises the number of people in B.C. with at least one dose of vaccine to 4,216,384 with 4,053,088 of those being fully vaccinated with two doses.
The province's math shows that this is 91% of the eligible population having at least one dose of vaccine, while 87.4% of the population has had two doses.
The B.C. government estimated in July that the province's total population is 5,147,712, so Glacier Media's calculation is that 81.9% of B.C.'s total population has had at least one dose of vaccine, and 78.7% of the province's total population has had two doses.
The relatively small number of unvaccinated people continue to be the ones hardest hit by the pandemic.
Between November 16 and November 22, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 58.1% of new cases, while between November 9 and November 22 those individuals were responsible for 69.2% of hospitalizations, according to government data.
Older people also endure more serious bouts of COVID-19, which is why the government has required those who work in seniors' homes to be fully vaccinated.
Some good news is that no new outbreaks have been discovered at health-care facilities. Outbreaks at Village by the Station in Penticton, and Sun Pointe Village in Kelowna have been declared over, leaving the province with 10 outbreaks at seniors' homes or health-care facilities. •
