A record 1,222 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Northern Health region between Monday and Tuesday, according to data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
A total of 14,523 doses of vaccine have been administered in the region, of which 2,697 were second doses. Tuesday was the first day of Northern Health's mass immunization clinic at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre. Residents 80 years old and older (65+ for Indigenous people) can call 1-844-255-7555 to book their appointment. The booking line is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
"To date, 424,517 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-SII COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 87,070 of which are second doses," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement on Tuesday. "We are all excited to get our COVID-19 vaccine, as not only do they provide protection, but also bring hope and renewal for all of us. Every person who receives a vaccine makes all of us safer, which is why teams are working hard to ensure every drop of available vaccine supply gets into arms as soon as possible."
There were 41 new cases of COVID-19 in the Northern Health region on Tuesday, the B.C. CDC reported.
Despite the new cases, the region saw a more than 10 per cent drop in active cases on Tuesday – down to 309 from 344 reported on Monday. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Northern Health region increased by four, to 24 – including 14 in intensive care.
No new COVID-related deaths were reported in B.C., leaving the province's death toll from the pandemic at 1,407 – including 111 people from the Northern Health region.
Northern Health reported new COVID-19 exposures at College Heights Secondary School and Valemount Elementary School. Both exposures took place March 8 and March 9.
The province saw a total of 556 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, with 4,999 active cases in B.C. A total of 280 British Columbians were hospitalized with the disease, including 84 in critical care.
"There have been 116 new confirmed COVID-19 cases that are variants of concern identified in our province in the last day, for a total of 996 cases," Henry and Dix said. "Of the total cases, 130 are active and the remaining people have recovered. This includes 921 cases of the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant, 41 cases of the B.1.351 (South Africa) variant and 34 cases of the P.1 (Brazil) variant."
Henry and Dix urged residents celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday to do so safely.
"A reminder for those who celebrate St. Patrick's Day to do so safely and in line with the provincial health officer's orders. That means that last call at restaurants, pubs and liquor stores will be at 8 p.m. on (Wednesday), to protect our businesses and the people who work in them," Henry and Dix said. "This is a time of hope for all of us – a time when we can start to look forward, knowing brighter days are ahead. As we do, let's ensure we are also keeping to few faces, open spaces and with all of our safety layers in place."
