February has seen the lowest Case counts on the Sunshine Coast since at least November.
From Feb. 21 to 27, two more COVID-19 cases were reported, according to data from BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), putting the month’s tally at approximately six (BCCDC data includes the week Jan. 31 to Feb. 6).
Between January 2020 and February 2021, 146 people have tested positive for the virus on the Sunshine Coast. “While most did not require hospitalization, some did become critically ill and ended up in Intensive Care,” said a March 4 community update from the Sunshine Coast COVID Physician Task Force. One resident’s death has been linked to the virus.
In Powell River, 60 people contracted COVID-19 over the same time period, compared with 1,406 people in Howe Sound Local Health Area – many of those linked to case surges in Whistler. In B.C., 311,208 people have received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of March 5.
There were four COVID-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours and 634 new cases. Locally, the task force announced in their update all long-term care residents and care workers have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix on March 5 described the week as one of “progress in our COVID-19 response, as we ready our province to begin our age-based immunizations and integrate the AstraZeneca-SII vaccine into our program.”
Also on March 5 the federal government approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. As of March 8, eligible Sunshine Coast residents (those aged 80 and above and Indigenous people 65 years old and above) can call 1-877-587-5767 to book an appointment to receive their vaccination.
