By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

DAILY UPDATE

Island Health, province post above-average day for new COVID-19 cases

Mar 4, 2021 | 2:51 PM

NANAIMO — Case counts across the province continue to pace above recent averages, however public health maintains there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed 564 new cases of COVID-19 across B.C. on Thursday, March 4.

Island Health saw 36 new COVID-19 cases, with the number of active cases rising by two to 272. There’s currently 154 active cases within the central Vancouver Island area.

The increase for Island Health is above the seven-day rolling average of 29.

Active cases across B.C. rose to 4,743 but the number of people in hospital remained relatively unchanged at 248 including 63 people receiving intensive care.

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A further four people passed away in the last 24 hours.

Cases involving international variants continue to be recorded, primarily in the Lower Mainland. To date, 246 cases featuring variants of concern were detected although just 16 are currently active.

Six patients with COVID-19 variants were confirmed within the Island Health region.

Dr. Henry spoke extensively about B.C.’s vaccine rollout, with 298,851 doses administered so far, including 86,746 second doses.

She said the number of second doses will stall for the time being as focus shifts to getting more first doses to more people sooner.

“We were coming up to a time this week where there was tens of thousands of doses of vaccine being scheduled for people to receive their second dose. That would have left us with very little vaccine to be able to continue our need to protect more people in more communities around the province.”

A third approved vaccine by AstraZeneca was not factored into the province’s mass vaccination plans, but allows public health to be flexible in how it administers immunizations.

“We are planning to use the initial shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccines that are coming available…to address our ongoing clusters and outbreaks that are leading to some of these rapidly increasing numbers in some places to best protect our communities.”

Mass vaccination clinics officially begin on March 15, with appointments opening up beginning March 8.

In Nanaimo, a clinic is operating at the Beban Park Social Centre. The City of Parksville also recently confirmed the Parksville Community Centre will host a clinic from March 15 through September.

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