Skip to content

Three more die from COVID-19 in B.C.; vaccination second-doses soar

Active COVID-19 infections in B.C. fall to low not seen since August 31.
Bonnie Henry - beige with flags
B.C.'s provincial health officer Bonnie Henry addresses media

B.C. is seeing fewer extremely serious COVID-19 infections, but that has not stopped people from dying from the disease that has spawned a global pandemic.

The province now has 34 people in intensive care units of hospitals, which is seven fewer than yesterday, and the lowest number since November 7, when there were 31 such people. Despite this, three more individuals died overnight while infected with COVID-19, according to government statistics released June 24.

A net total of four additional people have been admitted to B.C. hospitals in the past day, brining the province's total to 113.

The vast majority of the 1,111 people now known to be battling COVID-19 infections have been told to self-isolate. There have not been so few people actively fighting COVID-19 infections in B.C. since August 31, when there were 1,107 such people. The number of those actively infected has fallen in each of the past 43 provincial data updates. 

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix have credited B.C.'s vaccination campaign for driving down the number of those actively infected. 

In the past day, health officials have provided 81,934 doses of vaccine, with 11,820 of those going to unvaccinated people.
A record 70,114 doses went to individuals as needed second doses. 

In total, since the first dose in B.C. was provided on December 16, B.C. has administered 4,652,087 doses of vaccine to 3,530,063 people, with 1,122,024 of those getting needed second doses. 

Henry and Dix's math holds that this is 77.5% of all B.C. adults, and 76% of all British Columbians aged at least 12 years. 

They added that 25.9% of all adults in B.C., and 24.2% of those aged 12 years and old, have received their second dose.

"Getting vaccinated is your ticket to travel and safe social connections," Henry and Dix said in a joint statement. "It is also our shared path to putting COVID-19 behind us as soon as possible."

In the past 24 hours, health officials have detected 75 new cases. By health region, there were:
• 17 in Vancouver Coastal Health (22.7%);
• 44 in Fraser Health (58.7%);
• one in Island Health (1.3%);
• 12 in Interior Health (16%); and
• one cases in Northern Health (0%).

There remain four active outbreaks at B.C. seniors' homes:
• Hollyburn House in West Vancouver;
• Minoru Residence in Richmond;
• Glenwood Seniors' Community in Agassiz; and
• Rotary Manor in Dawson Creek.

There is also an active outbreak at Port Moody's Eagle Ridge Hospital. 

gkorstrom@biv.com

@GlenKorstrom