THE LATEST:
- Premier John Horgan will join health officials this morning to talk about the next steps in B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.
- As of Thursday, 104,901 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C.
- The premier has announced that B.C. will not restrict interprovincial travel at this time.
- On Thursday, 564 new cases of COVID-19 and 15 more deaths were reported.
- There are currently 4,450 active cases of the coronavirus in B.C.
- 309 people are in hospital, with 68 in the ICU.
Long-awaited details on B.C.’s plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be released Friday morning.
Premier John Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Dr. Penny Ballem, executive lead of the B.C. immunization rollout, are scheduled to provide more information during a public announcement at 10:30 a.m. PT.
The province’s immunization program has been complicated by a hiccup in vaccine supply from Pfizer-BioNTech. Nearly 31,000 doses of vaccine the province expected by Jan. 29 could be curtailed because of production issues.
So far, 104,901 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., including 1,680 second doses.
Friday’s announcement follows news that B.C. will not ban non-essential travellers from other provinces in order to halt the spread of COVID-19.
Thursday evening, Horgan said that the government has explored its legal options and it’s not possible to restrict travel at this point, but that could change if B.C. sees an increase in transmission caused by interprovincial visitors.
On Thursday, B.C. health officials announced 564 new cases of COVID-19 and 15 more deaths.
In a written statement, Henry and Dix put the number of hospitalized patients at 309 people, 68 of whom are in intensive care. Hospitalizations are now at their lowest level since Nov. 28
A total of 1,119 people in B.C. have lost their lives to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Henry and Dix said a new community cluster has been detected in and around Williams Lake in the central Interior. There are no new outbreaks in the health-care system, and six outbreaks have been declared over.
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What’s happening elsewhere in Canada
As of 8 p.m. PT on Thursday, Canada had reported 731,450 cases of COVID-19, and 18,622 total deaths.
A total of 67,099 cases are considered active.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
Common symptoms include:
- Fever.
- Cough.
- Tiredness.
- Shortness of breath.
- Loss of taste or smell.
- Headache.
But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia.
What should I do if I feel sick?
Use the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s COVID-19 self-assessment tool. Testing is recommended for anyone with symptoms of cold or flu, even if they’re mild. People with severe difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, difficulty waking up or other extreme symptoms should call 911.
What can I do to protect myself?
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Keep them clean.
- Keep your distance from people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Wear a mask in indoor public spaces.
- Be aware of evolving travel advisories to different regions.
More detailed information on the outbreak is available on the federal government’s website.
