The Northern Health region had 114 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend.
The number of active cases in the region grew by 15, to 303 on Monday, according to data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. There were 29 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the region, including 13 in intensive care.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 4,625 cased of COVID-19 in the Northern Health region.
Throughout the province, there were a total of 1,478 new cases, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement on Monday.
"There are 4,464 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, with 8,210 people under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 74,776 people who tested positive have recovered," Henry and Dix said. "Of the active cases, 236 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 65 of whom are in intensive care. There have been eight new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,363 deaths in British Columbia."
None of the deaths reported were in the north, leaving the region's death toll from the pandemic at 106.
Forty-two new cases of COVID-19 "variants of concern" were reported, bringing the total number to 158 cases – only 10 of which were active as of Monday, Henry and Dix said.
The U.K. variant made up 137 of those cases, and the South African variant the other 21.
"Today, we begin Phase 2 of our COVID-19 immunization program, which will immunize more than 400,000 people in B.C. between March and early April," Henry and Dix said (see story). "With the additional supply from the newly approved AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India viral vector vaccine, combined with setting the second dose interval at 16 weeks, everyone moves up the line, meaning more people will be vaccinated more quickly. Every day we are one step closer to widespread community immunity and post-pandemic life. Let's ensure we are continuing with our efforts until we get there."
As of Monday, a total of 8,653 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the Northern Health region, the B.C. CDC reported. Of those 6,178 were first doses, and 2,475 were second doses.
