B.C. records 406 new cases of COVID-19 and 5 more deaths

British Columbia announced 406 new cases of COVID-19 and five more deaths on Tuesday.

In a written statement, the provincial government said there are currently 4,694 active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

A total of 445 people are in hospital, with 137 in intensive care.

The provincial death toll from COVID-19 is now 2,186 lives lost out of 206,690 confirmed cases to date.

There  are a total of 41 active outbreaks in assisted living and long-term care, Including two new outbreaks at Royal Inland Hospital, and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Ongoing outbreaks at acute care facilities include Mission Memorial Hospital, Chilliwack General Hospital, Queen's Park Care Centre, Royal Inland Hospital, University Hospital of Northern B.C., GR Baker Memorial Hospital, Bulkley Valley District Hospital, and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

As of Tuesday, 90 per cent of those 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 85.4 per cent a second dose.

From Oct. 25 to 31, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 64.4 per cent of cases and from Oct. 18 to 31, they accounted for 72.4 per cent of hospitalizations, according to the province.

So far, 8.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., including 3.9 million second doses.

B.C. public service mandate

B.C. health officials announced Monday that any public service employee who has not received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 22 will be placed on unpaid leave for three months.

Workers who still aren't vaccinated after that period "may be terminated," Health Minister Adrian Dix said during a news conference.

Roughly 30,000 people work in public service in B.C. The province announced last month that vaccines for those workers would be mandatory.

'Not the right profession'

In the health-care sector, more than 3,300 workers are now on unpaid leave because they were not immunized by the Oct. 26 deadline for mandatory vaccination.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said any loss of staff is another challenge for an exhausted health-care system. 

But she wasn't readily inviting back staff who still have not been immunized.

"If people are in our health-care system and not recognizing the importance of vaccination, then this is probably not the right profession for them, to be frank," she said during a news conference Monday.

Anyone who has not yet been vaccinated is encouraged to do so immediately. You can book an appointment online or by phone at a pharmacy in your community. 

The week-over-week hospitalization comparisons are temporarily suspended after the Northern Health Authority introduced a one-time, retroactive accounting change to its hospitalization numbers Tuesday, Oct. 26. We will reintroduce them Wednesday, Nov. 3.