BC COVID-19 pandemic update

As of Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, 86.9% (4,332,204) of eligible people five and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 82.5% (4,113,484) have received their second dose.

In addition, 91.6% (4,247,470) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 88.7% (4,113,431) received their second dose and 15% (688,167) have received a third dose.

Also, 92% (3,979,851) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose, 89.2% (3,859,565) received their second dose and 16% (687,413) have received a third dose.

B.C. is reporting 789 new cases of COVID-19, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 225,785 cases in the province.

There are 4,313 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 218,960 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 191 individuals are in hospital and 74 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

The new/active cases include:

• 186 new cases in Fraser Health
  • Total active cases: 1,182
• 286 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Total active cases: 1,228
• 131 new cases in Interior Health
  • Total active cases: 688
• 39 new cases in Northern Health
  • Total active cases: 239
• 147 new cases in Island Health
  • Total active cases: 975
• no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada
  • Total active cases: one

In the past 24 hours, three new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,399.

The new deaths include:

• Fraser Health: one
• Vancouver Coastal Health: one
• Northern Health: one

There have been 302 cases of the Omicron variant of concern identified in B.C.:

• Fraser Health: 58
• Vancouver Coastal Health: 93
• Interior Health: five
• Northern Health: one
• Island Health: 145

There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at Lions Gate Hospital (Vancouver Coastal Health). There is one active outbreak in:

• long-term care:
• acute care:
  • Lions Gate Hospital (Vancouver Coastal Health)
• assisted or independent living:

From Dec. 9-15, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 42.8% of cases. From Dec. 2-15, they accounted for 71.6% of hospitalizations.

Past week cases (Dec. 9-15) – Total 3,394

• Not vaccinated: 1,386 (40.8%)
• Partially vaccinated: 66 (2.0%)
• Fully vaccinated: 1,942 (57.2%)

Past two weeks cases hospitalized (Dec. 2-15) – Total 155

• Not vaccinated: 105 (67.7%)
• Partially vaccinated: six (3.9%)
• Fully vaccinated: 44 (28.4%)

Past week, cases per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (Dec. 9-15)    

• Not vaccinated: 186.1
• Partially vaccinated: 33.8
• Fully vaccinated: 42.9

Past two weeks, cases hospitalized per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (Dec. 2-15)

• Not vaccinated: 23.8
• Partially vaccinated: 4.9
• Fully vaccinated: 1.0

Since December 2020, the Province has administered 9,101,805 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer Pediatric COVID-19 vaccines.

Learn More:

For the Dec. 17, 2021 announcement on new COVID-19 measures, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0230-002414

For the Dec. 14, 2021, modelling presentation, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/12.14.21_PHO_modelling.pdf

For the Nov. 23, 2021, announcement on COVID-19 pediatric vaccine for children aged 5-11, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0209-002245

To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines for children: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/children

For the Oct. 26, 2021, announcement on COVID-19 booster shots for all British Columbians, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/25604

For information on booster doses, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/booster

For regional restrictions in the Northern Health region, visit: https://www.northernhealth.ca/sites/northern_health/files/health-information/health-topics/orders/documents/nh-gatherings-events-orders-dec-2021.pdf

For information on a third dose for people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register#immunocompromised

As they become available, information on school outbreaks will be posted online: www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/public-exposures

For surgical renewal commitment progress reports, visit:

To learn about how B.C. counts its daily COVID-19 cases in hospitals, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0058-001844

To learn about the BC Vaccine Card and how to access yours, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/vaccinecard.html

For the Aug. 12, 2021, announcement on mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for long-term care workers, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/25143

For information on breakthrough cases, see the BCCDC weekly data summary: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data#summary

Detailed data is posted daily on the BCCDC dashboard: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data or: www.bccdc.ca

To register to be immunized or to learn about getting your second dose, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register or https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/dose-2

For the provincial health officer’s orders and guidance, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

For guidance on restrictions, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions

The latest updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and to find a testing centre near you: http://www.bccdc.ca/ or follow @CDCofBC on Twitter.

For COVID-19 exposure events, updates and information, visit: