B.C. announces 497 new cases of COVID-19 and 3 COVID19 related deaths in the last 24 hours for Friday.
The latest cases bring the province to 214,636 confirmed infections since the pandemic began, and 2,293 confirmed deaths.
There are currently 3,420 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C.
That total includes 358 infectious patients in hospital, 109 of them in intensive care units.
More to Come.
Restaurant operators in British Columbia's southern Interior are scrambling after flooding and landslides closed highways and rail lines, cutting businesses off from the supply chains they rely on. It's the latest hurdle after 20 months of struggles through the COVID-19 pandemic and a summer of smoky skies from wildfires that wiped out tourism.
Health Canada has approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 in Canada, and the first shipment of doses is expected to arrive in the country by Sunday. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech submitted a request for approval of a child-sized dose of its mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 on Oct. 18.
Barkad Khan wiped away tears Thursday as he made another "frustrating" visit to one of the emergency reception centres set up to help residents from Merritt, B.C., who have been forced from their homes due to unprecedented flooding. Khan said he and his family, wife Afreen and daughters Mahveen and Mahira, were given just 10 minutes to get out before their home was flooded.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has indicated that measures could include an order preventing passage for all but essential travellers as limited access is slowly restored along some highways.
The companies say the facility will be sold to resolve the Competition Commissioner of Canada's concerns about the implication on the purchase of wood fibre from the Thompson/Okanagan region in British Columbia.
The area is under an evacuation order because of flooding in the nearby Sumas River. Police-enforced roadblocks have been set up around the area to prevent people from coming or going.