Hours after announcing the return of an indoor mask mandate across the province, B.C. health officials are reporting another 641 cases of COVID-19, including 273 in Interior Health.

There are now 5,357 active cases of the virus in B.C., with 38 per cent of those (2,054) in the Interior, which yet again reported the highest number of daily cases among health authorities.

Fraser Health reported 149 new cases (1,223 active), Vancouver Coastal Health saw 125 new cases (1,330 active), 53 new cases in Island Health (430 active), and 39 new cases in Northern Health (308 active). There were also two new cases in people who live outside of Canada, with 12 such cases active.

Hospitalizations have increased to 138, with 78 people in intensive care across the province. No new deaths were reported with the death toll remaining at 1,801 people.

Between August 9 and 22, health officials say people who are not fully vaccinated accounted for 83.4 per cent of all COVID cases in B.C. and 85.6 per cent of hospitalizations.

They say from August 16 to 22, 70.2 per cent of cases (2,870) were in unvaccinated people, with another 13.2 per cent (541) in partially vaccinated people, and 16.6 per cent (680) in fully vaccinated people.

When it comes to hospitalizations from August 9 to 22, 77.7 per cent (108) were people who were unvaccinated, while 7.9 per cent (11) were partially vaccinated people, and another 14.4 per cent (20) were fully vaccinated people.

On the vaccine front, there are now 83.3 per cent of eligible people over the age of 12 who have gotten one dose of a COVID vaccine, while 75.1 per cent of people are fully vaccinated.