Cases caused by variant viruses creeping up in B.C. – The Daily Courier

Cases caused by variant viruses creeping up in B.C. – The Daily Courier

Variants of concern are accounting for a steadily-increasing number of new COVID-19 cases in B.C.

Twelve percent of the 648 new cases confirmed Friday were caused by variants, compared to 10% on Thursday and less than five percent two weeks ago.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is still here, and we are facing headwinds,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement.

In Ontario, variants of concern account for 42% of new COVID-19 cases. The variants, first detected late last year, have become the dominant form of the virus in many other jurisdictions.

Of the 648 new cases of COVID-19 provincewide, 39 were in the Interior Health region.

There are currently 5,070 active cases in B.C., with 255 people being treated for the disease in hospital. The rest are recovering at home in self-isolation. No new deaths were reported, with the toll remaining at 1,397.

A total of 717 cases have been caused by the variants of concern, the most prevalent of which in B.C. is the one first detected in the United Kingdom.

Just over 380,000 of British Columbia’s 5.2 million people have been vaccinated. Vaccine bookings are now open for people over 85 and Indigenous people over 65.

Published at Sat, 13 Mar 2021 00:02:00 +0000