The province reported eight deaths from COVID-19 over the weekend, including the youngest death so far in B.C., in an infant under two years old.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says that infant had underlying health issues but says COVID-19 was the reason for their passing. She says the child lived in Fraser Health and was receiving treatment at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
Today, health officials reported 2,960 new cases from the virus across B.C., including 211 in Interior Health.
Elsewhere, there were 1,845 cases in Fraser Health in the past three days, as well as 696 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 108 in Island Health and 100 in Northern Health.
Record numbers were reported again today for hospitalizations, with 438, and people in intensive care units, with 138.
There are now 9,353 active cases in B.C.
Big provincial news on COVID-19 today included “circuit-breaker” restrictions being extended until May 25, which most notably bans indoor dining and group fitness classes. With that, the province is asking people not to travel or vacation within the province for May long weekend, and starting on Friday, Premier John Horgan says police will be able to “random audits,” and pull over and ticket drivers who are found to be travelling outside of their health authorities.
Other news includes B.C. residents who are aged 40 to 65 now being able to get an AstraZeneca vaccine dose at local pharmacies; for the past three weeks, only adults aged 55-65 were able to get that vaccine. Dr. Henry says as of April 14, more than 114,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been distributed in local pharmacies, with about 88,000 still available in just over 600 pharmacies. That includes 13 pharmacies in Kamloops where people are able to book appointments.
Meanwhile, now just over 1,380,000 vaccine doses have been administered in the province. That’s almost exactly double the number of doses provided three weeks ago, on March 29 (699,000).