Dr. Bonnie Henry marked the 1-year anniversary of B.C.'s first COVID-19 fatality. (flickr/Gov't of B.C.)

By NanaimoNewsNOW

covid-19 update

Number of new COVID-19 cases drops significantly in Island Health

Mar 9, 2021 | 4:07 PM

NANAIMO — The number of new COVID-19 cases plummeted for Island Health but it remains to be seen if it’s a fluke or beginning of a trend.

Island Health confirmed only eight new COVID-19 cases were found on Tuesday, Mar. 9. It’s the first time since early January Island Health saw only a single digit increase. However, the January drop was a singular blip with cases rising back into the 20’s the very next day.

The last time Island Health consistently saw new cases in the single digits was before the second wave of COVID-19 in early November.

Island Health currently has 214 active cases, which is the lowest since Feb. 19 and a sizable drop from 303 on March 1.

Of the active cases, more than half are in the central Vancouver Island area with 116.

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There is a data discrepancy between Island Health and the province, based on the timing of COVID-19 results. NanaimoNewsNOW reports local verified data from Island Health.

Across B.C. 550 new cases were confirmed, in line with the uptick in new COVID-19 cases seen across the province.

The number of active cases rose slightly while hospitalizations increased by nine and the number of people receiving intensive care remained relatively stable.

The number of variants discovered rose significantly with 182 new, which is a 46 per cent jump from the day before. There’s a total of nearly 600 variants in B.C. with 113 considered active.

Two new fatalities were recorded.

Tuesday marked the one year anniversary of the first COVID-19 death in Canada, which occurred in B.C.

“Today, we pause and remember everyone who has died from this virus,” a joint statement from public health said.

“Through the loss and uncertainty that has come with this pandemic, we’ve seen incredible resilience as people throughout the province have adapted to the challenges COVID-19 has brought.”

To date, nearly 344,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the province.

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