Another 559 cases of COVID-19 were reported in British Columbia, with 43 new cases in Interior Health.

There was also just the one death taking the total to 1,336 people.

While the daily case total is higher than it has been in recent days, Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says there were no new cases or deaths in the long-term care where residents and staff have been offered at least one dose of the COVID vaccine.

“This really is a reflection of the vaccines that we have had, and their use and deployment to long term care and assisted living across this province,” she said. “This is a success that we need to appreciate and celebrate even as we are preparing now to be able to provide more vaccine to more people in our communities.”

Henry says there have been 287,950 doses of the vaccine that have been given out so far across the province, an increase of 69,224 doses since yesterday’s update, which she called ‘an amazing feat’. There have now been 58,896 second doses across the province, and most of the doses have gone to seniors and elders in long term care.

And she says more information about the plan to vaccinate people over the age of 80 will be released on Monday morning. To that effect, a new provincial health order to has been issued by Dr. Henry to allow people like dentists, midwives and retired nurses, to be trained on administering the vaccines.

“We are very excited to be able to have the workforce that we are going to need over the next six months to ensure that we can get vaccine into as many people as wanted in this province as efficiently as possible,” she said. “I’m going to be there as the biggest cheerleader because this is what is going to get us out of the pandemic that we are in right now.”

“These seniors and elders will receive vaccine information in the next two weeks, so please be patient. We have not forgotten you. These plans are in place and we will be reaching out to you in the coming days and weeks.”

While the number of cases in long-term care and assisted living homes is down, the case load around the province is remaining fairly steady, with Henry noting is something health officials are ‘managing as aggressively as they can.’

“It is concerning that we are seeing an increase in percent positivity in our seven day rolling average of cases, in particularly again in the Lower Mainland,” she said.

Of the new cases announced today, 278 were in Fraser Health, 132 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health, 66 people in Northern Health, and 39 people on Vancouver Island. There was also one case is someone who normally lives outside of Canada.

Active cases around B.C. are at 4,677 – an increase of 117 since yesterday. There are now 238 people in hospital with COVID-19, 69 of whom are in critical or intensive care. A further 7,881 people are under active public health monitoring because of an exposure to a known case.

In Interior Health, there was an increase of 14 active cases to 638 with 20 people in hospital, eight in critical care.

There are now 71,753 people who are considered to have recovered, about 92 per cent of the 77,822 cases in the province.