B.C. records nearly 700 COVID-19 cases, one death

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Interior Health is continuing to lead the way for new COVID-19 cases in B.C., but Fraser Health isn’t far behind.

The province recorded a total of 698 new cases in the past day, 252 of which were within the Interior Health region. There were 203 new infections in the Fraser Health region.

Vancouver Coastal Health recorded 129 new cases, Island health saw 69, and 45 were recorded in Northern Health.

There are 139 people hospitalized with the illness, up just one from Tuesday’s figure. However, the number of patients in the ICU has gone down from 78 to 75.

Looking at the timeframe from Aug. 10 to Aug. 23, the province says people who were not fully vaccinated made up 83.3 per cent of cases and 85 per cent of hospitalizations.

On Wednesday, the province’s latest mask mandate came back into effect due to the rising case numbers. Masks are required for people aged 12 and up in indoor public spaces province-wide, including on transit and BC Ferries.

Related video: B.C. brings back mandatory masks for public, indoor settings

There was one new death in the past day, recorded in Fraser Health, for an overall total of 1,802 since the pandemic began.

When it comes to active cases, there are 5,356 province-wide. They include 1,911 in Interior Health, 1,347 in Vancouver Coastal Health, and 1,294 in Fraser Health. Another 322 are in Northern Health and 470 are in Island Health. The remaining active cases are people who live outside the country.

There are two new outbreaks in long-term care homes, Vancouver’s Brock Fahrni Pavillion, and Kelowna’s Spring Valley Care Centre.

Vaccination rates are continuing to inch upwards, with the province reporting 83.5 per cent of eligible British Columbians having received at least one dose and 75.4 per cent fully vaccinated.

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B.C. lifted its previous mask mandate in July, and the province was expected to move to the next step in its Restart Plan in September. However, Premier John Horgan confirmed on Monday that would not be the case.

The provincial mask order will be reassessed as B.C.’s requirement for proof of vaccination in certain indoor settings comes into effect starting next month.

With files from Mike Lloyd, HanaMae Nassar, and Claire Fenton 

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