8 more people die of COVID-19 in B.C. as 596 new cases confirmed

British Columbia announced 596new cases of COVID-19 and eightmore deaths on Thursday.

In a written statement, the provincial health ministrysaid there are currently 4,451active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

A total of 438people are in hospital, with 130in intensive care.

Overall hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are up by 0.9per cent from last Thursday, when 434people were in hospital with the disease.

The number of patients in intensive care is downby about 16.1per cent from 155a week ago.

The provincialdeath toll from COVID-19is now 2,200 lives lost out of 207,716 confirmed cases to date.

There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at Peace Villa, for a combined total of 37active outbreaks in assisted living and long-termand acute care.

Acute care outbreaksinclude:

• Mission Memorial Hospital.
• Chilliwack General Hospital.
• Queen's Park Care Centre.
• Abbotsford Regional Hospital.
• Royal Inland Hospital.
• University Hospital of Northern BC.
• GR Baker Memorial Hospital.
• Bulkley Valley District Hospital.
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

As of Thursday, 90.1 per cent of those 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of aCOVID-19 vaccineand 85.6 per cent asecond dose.

From Oct. 27 to Nov. 2, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 64.5 per cent of cases and fromOct. 20 to Nov. 2,they accounted for 71.8 per cent of hospitalizations, according to the province.

So far, 8.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., including 3.9 million second doses.

Vaccinations in public service and health care

Any public service employee who has not received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 22 will be placed on unpaid leave for three months, B.C. health officials say.

Roughly 30,000 people work in public service in B.C. The provinceannounced last month that vaccines for those workers would be mandatory.

Workers who still aren't vaccinated after that period "may be terminated,"Health Minister Adrian Dix said during a news conference Monday.

Federal government employeeshad until Oct. 29 to disclose their vaccination status.

The vaccine mandate applies to approximately 268,000 public servants who work in what Ottawa refers to as thecore public administration, which includes members and reservists of the RCMP.

Federal employees who refuse to be vaccinated without a valid reason will be put on unpaid leave as earlyas Nov. 15, the government has said. This applies to people working remotely and in-person.

In British Columbia's health-care sector, more than 3,300 workers are already onunpaid leave because they were not immunized by their Oct. 26deadline for mandatory vaccination.