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.
There are 5,172 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 187,564 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 374 people are in hospital and 153 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Sheila Malcolmson, the province's minister of mental health and addictions, says the program will include 65 new or improved services, about 130 more staff and 195 new substance-use treatment beds.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit municipal coffers hard as cities have watched transit ridership drop along with fare revenue. At the same time, cities have seen expenses rise, leading to budget holes that mayors have repeatedly sought federal cash to fill.
Fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents have been allowed back into Canada since August, provided they have waited at least 14 days since getting a full course of a Health Canada-approved vaccine and can show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test.
The United States and Europe are pushing a Global Methane Pledge asking other governments to commit to cutting total methane emissions 30 per cent by 2030.
The board says it will hold a news conference Thursday after the publication of its report with the results of the investigation. The fire raced through the town on June 30, days after a record-setting heat at the end of June.