Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will present B.C.’s latest epidemiological modelling Wednesday, one day after announcing the lowest number of new daily COVID-19 cases since Nov. 5.
B.C. health officials announced 444 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 more deaths on Tuesday.
It’s the lowest number of daily cases since restrictions were implemented in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health authorities on Nov. 7 as cases spiked in the Lower Mainland.
The restrictions on events, social gatherings and travel were expanded to include the entire province in mid-November and are in place until Jan. 8.
Tuesday’s update brought the province’s seven-day average of new cases to its lowest point in over a month.
The number of active cases also appears to have levelled off in the past week and is now 9,481, according to the latest update.
However, health authorities are still urging caution as British Columbians look for ways to celebrate the holidays safely without breaking restrictions on travel and gatherings.
On Monday, Henry said that while B.C.’s curve is currently “levelling,” it’s at too high a plateau, with significant growth of new cases in the Interior and the north of B.C.
The province said it has formally extended B.C.’s state of emergency — which has been in place since March 18 — until Jan. 5.
Immunization plan gets boost with Moderna approval
Health Canada announced Wednesday morning it has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in this country, clearing the way for thousands of doses to arrive by month’s end.
B.C.’s COVID-19 immunization strategy is well underway, with 4,108 people having received their first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech as of Tuesday. Henry was among those immunized this week.
The province says vaccines will become more available across the province now that Pfizer and Moderna have given guidance on how to safely transport the vaccines, which must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures.
