B.C. reports another daily high in COVID-19 cases; active cases decrease in Interior Health

KAMLOOPS — B.C. reports 1,474 new COVID-19 cases for Wednesday (Dec. 22) – another provincial daily high – with only 113 of them in Interior Health.

Active cases spiked again in the provinces to 7,253 (up by 905 since Tuesday) but decreased to 683 in Interior Health (down by 12). Of the provincial active cases, 187 patients are in hospital (down by five), with 71 in intensive care (down by five).

The Ministry of Health says an update on cases of the Omicron variant of concern will be provided in Thursday’s (Dec. 23) COVID-19 pandemic update.

Elsewhere, there were 711 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (2,952 active), 435 in Fraser Health (2,277), 176 in Island Health (1,146), and 39 in Northern Health (195).

Six new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, none in Interior Health, for a provincial total of 2,409.

There’s only one active healthcare facility outbreak in the province at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.

As of Wednesday, 87.6 per cent (4,366,010) of eligible people five and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 82.7 per cent (4,122,434) have received their second.