What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. for Jan. 6

THE LATEST:

• The province says 90per cent of patients whose surgeries were delayed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had their procedures completedby late November.
• Two Vancouver Island city councillors have admitted to travelling outside the country during the holiday season.
• A public health alert is currently in place for the Revelstoke region after a sudden spike in cases.
• Health officials reported625 new COVID-19 cases and eight more deaths on Wednesday.
• B.C. has6,343active cases as of Wednesday. So far, 962people have died of the disease.
• There are 381COVID-19 patients in hospital, including 78 in intensive care.
• Province has extended its state of emergency due to COVID-19.
• To date,33,665 British Columbians have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• There are currently outbreaks at St. Paul's Hospital, Chilliwack General Hospital, the Sunnybank Retirement Home in Oliver,andUniversity Hospital of Northern B.C.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says90 per cent of patients or around29,100 people whose surgeries were delayed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring were able to have their procedures completed by late November.

The province cancelled scheduled procedures on March 16 and restarted them on May 18.

The remaining 10 per cent of patients who have not had their surgeries yet are expected to have them in the next two to three months, officials said.

B.C. reported 625 new cases of COVID-19and eightmore deaths on Wednesday.

A public health alert has been issued for the Revelstoke region, where community transmission and new cases of COVID-19 have increased substantially in recent days.

Interior Health said in a news release Tuesday that 29 new cases had been identified in the last two weeks, and that thecumulative total in the area is now "above 85 cases'' since the start of the pandemic, up from 50 in early December.

The weekly case numbers in Revelstoke are higher than many other areas of B.C. on a per capita basis, and because there is no specific source for the new cases, the authority says it's important that everyone follow public health rules and get tested at the first sign of symptoms.

The province has 6,343 active cases of COVID-19 and 962people have died of the disease. There are 381COVID-19 patients in hospital, including 78 in intensive care, healthofficials reported.

COVID-19 outbreaks have been declared at St Paul's Hospital, Chilliwack General Hospital, the Sunnybank Retirement Home in Oliver,and the University Hospital of Northern B.C.

As of Wednesday,33,665 people in B.C. have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

A briefing detailing B.C.'s latest COVID-19 case count is scheduled for 3 p.m. PT.

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READ MORE:

• Two Vancouver Islandcity councillors are among the latest Canadian politicians to admit they travelled outside of Canada over the holidays, despitefederal and provincial guidelines against non-essential travel.
• Another 25 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to Big White Ski Resort, bringing the total number of cases in thecommunity cluster to 136.
• The operator of a second British Columbia mink farm with animals that tested positive for COVID-19 has euthanized the remaining 1,000 mink, says the province's chief veterinarian.
• After ninemonths of containment and mitigation, a new approach is required, says the group COVID Strategic Choice, which advocates for a "near zero"COVID-19 strategy in Canada.
• A British Columbia judge says a polyamorous father is not breaching the province's COVID-19 health orders by sharing his Squamish apartment with a new partner who is also living with her husband in Vancouver.

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of Wednesdayevening,Canada's COVID-19 death toll was at16,369, according to a CBC News tally.

Canada's total case count was 626,800, according to the Government of Canada's COVID-19 dashboard.