B.C. reported 14 new COVID-related deaths, including five on the Island, on Wednesday ahead of an expected announcement on an end date for the province’s indoor mask mandate.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is scheduled to provide an update at 12:30 p.m. Thursday on easing pandemic restrictions. She has strongly hinted that the indoor mask mandate will be relaxed prior to spring break.
The B.C. Vaccine Card is set to be in place until June 30, but Henry has said that, too, could end earlier if conditions warrant. A final set of restrictions are to be reviewed by April 12.
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario have lifted or have announced specific plans to lift pandemic restrictions.
Ontario cited improving health indicators and a high vaccination rate as the reason behind its decision to scrap most mask mandates in schools, gyms, restaurants and stores by March 21, with remaining pandemic restrictions to be dropped by the end of April.
Ninety per cent of British Columbians age 12 and older are fully vaccinated with two doses and 56 per cent have received a third dose.
The number of new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. continues to fall, with 274 on Wednesday, down from a high of 4,074 on Dec. 31, 2021, at the peak of the Omicron wave. Seventy-seven of the new confirmed cases were in the Island Health region.
Public health officials confirm the total number of new cases is likely higher than reported as many people are not getting tested through the health care system or are not reporting positive rapid test results.
Hospitalizations across the province remained high at 405, including 53 people in Island Health hospitals, but are less than half what they were during the peak of the Omicron wave. There are 58 people in B.C. ICUs, including four on the Island.
The majority of deaths during the Omicron wave have been in people 70 and older. Omicron can infect people who are vaccinated or who previously had the disease, though it is more likely to cause serious illness in those who are not vaccinated.
A total of 2,929 people with COVID-19 in B.C. have died since the beginning of the pandemic.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
