B.C. reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 more deaths on Thursday, pushing the death toll in the province to 1,348. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry told a news briefing there are 4,489 active cases, including nine cases of virus variants of concern. She says B.C. is ramping up its screening for the variants, aiming to test 100 per cent of COVID-positive samples by next week to determine whether it’s likely they are variant cases and should be sent for further study. Henry is also warning that weekly average case counts and test positivity rates have ticked up in recent weeks, particularly in the Lower Mainland. Close to 240,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C. so far, including more than 68,000 people who received their second shot.
