B.C. records 341 new cases of COVID-19 and 6 more deaths

B.C. health officials announced 341new cases of COVID-19 and six more deaths on Friday.

In a written statement, the provincial government said there are currently 3,035 active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

A total of 291people are in hospital with the disease, with115in intensive care.

Overall hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are down by 18.7per cent from last Friday, when 358 people were in hospital with the disease.

The number of patients in intensive care is upby about 5.5per cent froma week ago when 109people were in the ICU.

The provincialdeath toll from COVID-19is now 2,322lives lost out of 217,099confirmed cases to date.

The regional breakdown of new cases is as follows:

• 100new cases in Fraser Health, which has 1,071 total active cases.
• 77new cases in Interior Health, which has 593 total active cases.
• 68new cases in Island Health, which has 448 total active cases.
• 65new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, which has 536 total active cases.
• 31new cases in Northern Health, which has 381total active cases
• There are nonew cases among people who reside outside of Canada, a group which has sixtotal active cases.

There are a total of eight active outbreaks in assisted living, long-term,and acute care facilities. The province has declared outbreaks over atQueens Park Care Centrein New Westminster and Dufferin Care Centre in Coquitlam.

Acute care outbreaksinclude:

• Abbotsford Regional Hospital
• Ridge Meadows Hospital
• St. Paul's Hospital

As of Friday, 91per cent of those 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of aCOVID-19 vaccineand 87.6per cent asecond dose.

From Nov. 18 to 24, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 59.2 per cent of cases and from Nov. 11,they accounted for 68.4 per cent of hospitalizations, according to the province.

So far, 8.63million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, including just over fourmillion second doses.

New variant of concern declared as travel restrictions imposed

The federal government has imposed travel restrictions on seven countries in southern Africa after a coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa was declared a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization.

Concerns have risen over theB.1.1.529 variant, which has been dubbed the "omicron" variant whichis potentially more transmissibleand possibly more vaccine resistant than previously discovered variants.

All foreign nationals who have travelled through South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini or Mozambique in the last 14 days will be barred from entering Canada, and those who have arrived from those countrieswill have to quarantine for 14 days.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix issued a joint statement on Friday supporting the federal restrictions.

"We do not yet know the impact this new [variant of concern] will have on transmission orseverity of illnessbut taking this immediate precautionary action is prudent," they said.

"At this time, there is no evidence that this variant has been introduced into British Columbia."

According to officials, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control has sequenced over 90,000 individual virus cases thus far, and will continue to screen for variants including omicron.