Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says she's heard of entire families coming down with COVID-19 after an indoor visit.(flickr/Gov't of BC)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

covid-19 update

COVID-19 curve continues to trend downward in Island Health

Apr 26, 2021 | 4:17 PM

NANAIMO — The number of active COVID-19 cases in Island Health once again dropped dramatically.

Active cases fell by nearly 40 from Friday, April 23 to Monday, April 26. There are currently 265 active cases.

Island Health data showed the 83 new cases confirmed on Monday were found primarily in the southern areas of Vancouver Island.

In central Vancouver Island, 26 new cases were found over the weekend while active cases dropped by eight to 71.

Across the province, a further 2,491 new cases were discovered with most being in the Fraser Health region. This is down roughly 500 from the amount announced after the previous weekend.

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Active cases and the amount of new cases have fallen roughly 20 per cent since the peak of the third wave.

Data showed the number of hospitalizations appeared to be plateauing but at a high level with 484 people in hospital. There are 158 people in ICU which is down slightly from Friday.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the high number of hospitalizations and ICU visits is due to more contagious variants circulating in the province.

“Before if someone got sick from a contact at work and came home, there might have been one or two other people in their family who caught it. But now we’re seeing everyone get it. There are whole families admitted to hospital. We’ve had tragic cases where husband and wives are in the ICU together. That’s what we need to stop right now.

A further 17 people passed away due to COVID-19. As a lagging indicator, the number of fatalities is expected to increase to reflect the highs of the third wave.

Dr. Henry said doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine are expected next week, making it the fourth vaccine available in B.C.

She said she’s heard concerns of people posting photos to social media of themselves getting vaccination.

“All of us should celebrate every vaccine dose given,” she said. “When we are immunized we protect not just ourselves but our coworkers, families and our communities.”

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