B.C. records 430 new cases of COVID-19 and 6 more deaths

British Columbiaannounced 430new cases of COVID-19 and 6more deaths on Wednesday.

In a written statement, the provincial governmentsaid there are currently 4,373active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

Due to a data error, the province saidit was not able to include the number of people in hospital or intensive care inits Wednesday report.

The provincialdeath toll from COVID-19is now 2,192 lives lost out of 207,120 confirmed cases to date.

There are a total of 40active outbreaks in assisted living and long-termand acute care.

Acute care outbreaksinclude:

• Abbotsford Regional Hospital.
• Mission Memorial Hospital.
• Chilliwack General Hospital.
• Queen's Park Care Centre in New Westminster.
• Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
• University Hospital of Northern B.C.
• GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel.
• Bulkley Valley District Hospital in Northern Health.
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Fraser Healthdeclared theCOVID-19 outbreak at Abbotsford Regional Hospital late Wednesday, after evidence of transmission in a medicine unit. So far, five patients have tested positive for COVID-19 inone unit, which is temporarily closed to admissions.

As of Wednesday, 90.1per cent of those 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of aCOVID-19 vaccineand 85.5 per cent asecond dose.

From Oct. 26 to Nov. 1, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 64.5 per cent of cases and from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1,they accounted for72.4 per cent of hospitalizations, according to the province.

So far, 8.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., including 3.9 million second doses.

Mandatory vaccine requirements for travel

All travellers in Canada aged 12 and older must now be fully vaccinated before boarding planes, trains or cruise ships in this country.

Canadians travelling abroad will also need to follow the rules of the specific airline and the country they are entering, which may include testing.

British Columbia residents canaccess the federalgovernment's proof-of-vaccination record allowing for travel withinCanada and internationally.

As with the B.C. Vaccine Card, the new federal proof of vaccination can be accessedthrough Health Gateway,by phone at 1-833-838-2323 or in person at most Service B.C. offices.

However, the province says Ottawa has indicated it will allow British Columbians to use the B.C. Vaccine Card to travel within the country until Nov. 30, while national proof of vaccination is implemented.

Travellers need two doses of a vaccine, with the second one administered at least 14 days before departure.

The federal government took another step toward rebuilding the travel industry Tuesdayby announcing an expansion ofthe number of Canadians airports that will accept international flights.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said eight additional airports including Kelowna, Abbotsford and Victoria will begin allowinginternational arrivals on Nov. 30, bringing the total number of Canadian airports open to global travellers to 18.