B.C. records 521 new cases of COVID-19, as active cases reach highest number in 6 weeks

B.C. health officials announced 521 new cases of COVID-19 and seven more deaths on Friday.

It 's the eighth time in nine days the seven day rolling average of new cases has gone up.

There are currently 4,665 active cases of coronavirus in the province — the highest number since Jan. 13 — with public health monitoring 8,040 people across B.C. due to COVID-19 exposure. More than 73,188 people who tested positive have recovered.

In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix put the current number of hospitalized patients at 232 people, 63 of whom are in intensive care.

A total of 1,355 people in B.C. have lost their lives due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

Late Friday night, Fraser Health reported that an outbreak had been declared at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, where five patients in a medicine unit have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

A total of 12,540 vaccine shots were delivered in B.C. yesterday, the highest number so far, with 5,681 of them second doses.

So far, 252,373 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 73,808 of those being second doses. 

A COVID-19 outbreak at Kelowna General Hospital has claimed a patient's life. Interior Health declared an outbreak in the "4B" ward on Monday.

According to Interior Health, five patients and a staff member have tested positive for the virus. The health authority said on Friday that control measures are in place and there's no evidence of transmission to other areas in the hospital.

Another vaccine approved for use in Canada

On Friday morning, Health Canada approved the use of the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca. The approval clears the way for millions of more inoculations in Canada.

Canada has so far secured access to 20 million doses of the vaccine.

"Unlike the vaccines that have been available to date, this new, two-dose viral vector vaccine has the benefit of being 'fridge stable,' making it much easier to transport and distribute around the province," said Henry and Dix in their joint statement.