Cases still too high for health leaders

Fifty-four new cases of COVID19 were confirmed between Monday and Tuesday in the Interior Health region.

They were among the 407 new cases reported across B.C. by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix on Tuesday.

Although the number of new daily cases is well below the peak level of more than 800 seen in early December, Henry and Dix said the numbers are still too high.

“The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 is much higher than we want it to be,” they said in a news bulletin.

“We are asking for everyone’s help to bend our curve back down. This is especially critical with the presence of variant viruses in our province.”

New variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 are said to transmit more easily from person to person, though the resulting illnesses are no more severe or likely to result in death.

Including the new cases, 65,234 British Columbians have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. More than 58,000 people have recovered.

There are 4,260 active cases, with 313 people in hospital and the rest recovering in self-isolation at home. Fourteen more deaths were reported Tuesday, making the toll 1,168.

More than 122,000 British Columbians have been vaccinated against COVID-19, but those numbers are not expected to rise significantly in the coming weeks due to delays in shipments of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, Interior Health has identified 11 more COVID-19 cases at Big White Ski Resort, bringing the total to 225 since a cluster was declared.

Twenty-one cases are active.