B.C.'s death toll from COVID-19 rose to 1,754 on June 28, as five additional people died from the disease in the past three days, including one person who was aged between 20 and 29 and in the Interior Health Region, according to provincial health officer Bonnie Henry.
The other deaths included one person aged between 60 and 69, and three who were older than that.
Henry did not provide any additional information about any of those who newly died from the disease, such as whether any were fully vaccinated.
Getting two doses of vaccine does not make a person immune, Henry stressed. She said nine people in B.C. have died so far following their second doses of vaccine.
The new deaths come as other metrics show that the province is limiting the spread of the disease that has caused a global pandemic.
Of the 145 people newly diagnosed in B.C. with the disease, 57 cases were detected on June 26, 50 were detected on June 27, and 38 were detected in the past 24 hours. Monday totals for new infections tend to be lower because fewer tests and less lab work is done on Sundays. Nonetheless, the 38 new cases in the past day is the lowest daily total in B.C. since August 9, when there were 37 cases.
Hospitalizations fell to 107 – the lowest number since November 6, when there were 104 COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals. Of those, a net total of 37 people remain in intensive care units.
The number of those actively infected in B.C. fell in the 45th consecutive provincial data update, to 930, which is the first time that this number has been below 1,000 for months. The last time that there were fewer than 930 active COVID-19 infections in B.C. was Aug. 27, when there were 906 known active cases.
Vaccinations endured a "disruption" during the weekend because of the soaring temperatures. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, however, said that 95% of appointments for vaccinations were kept.
She has calculated that 78.1% of all B.C. adults, and 76.8% of all British Columbians aged 12 years and older, have been vaccinated at least once.
In the past day, officials provided 183,160 doses of vaccine to 30,083 unvaccinated people, and 153,077 others as needed second doses.
In total, since the first dose in B.C. was provided on December 16, B.C. has provided 4,886,709 doses of vaccine to 3,566,515 people, with 1,320,194 of those getting needed second doses.
Henry said there was a data glitch in the province's data for total number of COVID-19 infections. The new data holds that more than 98.1%, or 144,848 of 147,549 people known to be infected have recovered.
Henry did not say that any active outbreaks at seniors homes were over.
On Friday, the province said the five active outbreaks in those homes were at:
• Laurel Place in Surrey;
• Hollyburn House in West Vancouver;
• Minoru Residence in Richmond;
• Glenwood Seniors' Community in Agassiz; and
• Rotary Manor in Dawson Creek.
There was a new outbreak of COVID-19 detected at Surrey Memorial Hospital, Henry said. There is also an ongoing outbreak at Port Moody's Eagle Ridge Hospital.
