Northern Health was home to 26 new cases of COVID-19 while active cases in the region declined for the third day in a row, according to numbers issued Wednesday by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Active cases stood at 278, compared to 353 as of Monday.
The picture was much more bleak elsewhere in B.C. as 1,168 new cases were reported and active cases rose to 9,821, up 65 from the day before.
As well, six more deaths were reported, all in the Fraser Health region, pushing the total since the pandemic took hold to 1,521 in B.C.
As of Tuesday, Northern Health's positivity rate - the percentage of tests yielding a positive result for the virus - stood at 13.6 per cent, compared to a peak of 18 per cent on April 1, but remained the highest in the province. The average for B.C. was 9.9 per cent.
The seven-day rolling average for new cases in the region stood at 42.7 as of Tuesday, down from 50.3 as recently as of Friday.
The vaccination rollout continued as 57,919 have now got the jab in Northern Health, 5,205 more than what had been reported on Friday.
"We strongly encourage everyone who is now eligible for a vaccine to arrange for your appointment today. This not only protects you, but also provides greater protection to everyone around you," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and health minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement.
The Astra Zeneca vaccine is available through pharmacies for anyone ages 55 to 65. Registration for a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at a Northern Health clinic is also now open to those 55 years and older.
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In the meantime, Henry and Dix urged people to continue wearing masks, maintain physical distance and wash hands frequently as well as avoid non-essential travel.
"Always using our layers of protection, combined with getting one of the safe and highly effective vaccines as soon as you are eligible, is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. Let's continue to do our part so we can all put COVID-19 behind us."
