B.C. health officials provide update on COVID-19

Provincial health officials are set to update British Columbians on the current COVID-19 situation in B.C. Tuesday afternoon.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry are scheduled to brief the media and public at 1:30 p.m. PT.

In a written statement Monday, the provincial government said there were currently 4,282 active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

Monday's case numbers showed a 14 per cent decrease in the number of patients in intensive care compared to the week prior. Overall hospitalizations were also down by seven per cent.

As of Monday afternoon, the provincial death toll from COVID-19 was 2,218 lives lost out of 209,703 confirmed cases.

So far, 8.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, including 3.9 million second doses.

Everyone in B.C. will also have access to a third shot in the coming months, according to a provincial government announcement at the end of October.

Between now and the end of the year, the immunization program will provide third doses to people who are immunocompromised, to residents in long-term care and to those in assisted living and rural and remote Indigenous communities. 

Seniors aged 70 and over, and all Indigenous people over the age of 12, long-term home support clients and seniors in independent living and health-care workers who had a short interval between their first and second doses will also have the opportunity to receive a third dose by the end of the year.

Starting in January, third dose availability will expand to clinically vulnerable individuals and health-care workers. From there, the rest of the remaining population will become eligible.