B.C. health officials are reporting 438 new cases of COVID-19 today, including 16 more cases in Interior Health.

There were another 249 cases in Fraser Health, 137 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 19 on Vancouver Island, and 17 in Northern Health. There were two more deaths announced by Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, taking the provincial death toll to 1,365.

Henry also announced a data correction with another 254 cases from the past week that were previously not reported.

“This system issue has been resolved and those will be reconciled on the BC CDC dashboard by later today. So if you notice a discrepancy, that is what it is due to,” she said.

Henry also noted there are 22 new cases of so-called variants of concern taking the total to 182 cases – eight of which are active.

“That includes 159 people with the B.1.1.7 – the one that we are most concerned about and 23 of the B.1.3.5.1 or the one that is associated with South Africa,” she said. “The majority remain in the Fraser Health Region with 124 and 50 people in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. There are no increases in the numbers in other health areas.”

She says about 13 per cent of those cases are directly related to travel with about 60 per cent being close contacts.

“There are still 20 to 25 per cent, about a quarter, of these cases where we are not clear where they acquired the source,” Henry said. “And that reflects that we have transmission going on in communities, particularly in the Lower Mainland.”

All told, there are now 4,679 active cases of COVID-19 in the province up by 215 from yesterday. There are 243 people in hospital, 63 of whom are in intensive care. There are also 8,445 people who are being actively monitored by public health teams due to direct contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

In Interior Health, there are 423 active cases with 19 people in hospital, seven in critical care. There was also no change to any of the outbreaks in Kamloops. There are 13 cases at the Highridge Home Singh House group home, 30 cases at WEstsyde Care Residences, and 32 case at the Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre.

Meanwhile, the Florentine in Merritt has two resident cases.

Henry also said there were 283,182 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine administered so far, an increase of about 8,000 from yesterday, with 86,537 being second doses. Earlier today, the City of Kamloops said mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics will be set up at the McArthur Island curling rink and a portion of the Tournament Capital Centre Fieldhouse.

A total of 75,255 people are considered to have recovered from COVID-19, about 92 per cent of the total.