What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. for March 2

THE LATEST:

• Health officials announced 438 new cases and two more deaths on Tuesday.
• A total of 1,365 people in B.C. have lost their lives to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
• Another 22 new cases of variants of concern have been identified.
• There are now 243 people in hospital due to COVID-19 with 63in intensive care.
• There are currently 4,679active cases of coronavirus in the province.
• So far, 283,182 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C. aroundfiveper cent of the population with 86,537of those being second doses.
• B.C. has accelerated its vaccination plan to have every eligible adult receive a first dose by July.

B.C. health officials announced 438 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths on Tuesday, as they provided a defence of plans to delay second doses of the vaccines.

There are now 4,679 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. Of those, 243 people are in hospital, including 63 in intensive care. The total number of patients in hospital is now at its highest level since Feb. 6.

During Tuesday's daily briefing, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she is "so confident" of B.C.'s plan to leave a four-month gap between doses of COVID-19 vaccines, in spite of criticism from Canada's chief science adviser. Henry said B.C.'s plan is "the best one based on the science and data."

So far, B.C. has administered 283,182 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including 86,537 second doses. That means about five per cent of British Columbians have now received a shot.

B.C.has seena total of 81,367 cases of the disease to date, including1,365 people who have died.

The province has also confirmed22 new cases of variants of concernin the last day, bringing the total to 182. Of those,159 are the variant first identified in the U.K. and 23 are the variant first reported in South Africa.

Accelerated vaccine plan

Every eligible adult in British Columbia should be able to receive a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by late July after the approval of a new vaccine and a decision to delay second doses.

Health officials announced the accelerated timeline Monday as the province moved into the second,seniors-focused phase.

Seniors 80 and older, Indigenous seniors 65 and older, hospital staff and medical specialists, vulnerable populations living and working in congregated settings, and staff providing in-home support to seniors will begin getting their shots this month.

The province's vaccination plan is focused on inoculating high-risk people and most elderly populations by April, followed by younger age groups in the spring and summer.

Church petition

Three Fraser Valley churches were in court Monday seeking to overturn provincial health orders barring in-person religious gatherings. The hearing is expected to continue Tuesday.

The orders were put in place by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry last year as a way to curtail the spread of COVID-19 and were last extended on Feb. 10.

A lawyer for a group of British Columbia churches challenging COVID-19 rules that prohibit in-person religious services says the provincial health officer's orders allow secular gatherings such as in-class education and food distribution for people in need, while discriminating against churches and their congregants' right to freedom of religion.

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• British Columbia's decision to extend to four months the interval between first and second doses of three different vaccines amounts to a "population level experiment," said Mona Nemer, Canada's chief science adviser.
• As spring break starts in Quebec on Monday, some residents are flying to ski resorts in B.C., despite health recommendations against interprovincial travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Vancouver police handed out a fine of $2,300 tothe host of a gender reveal partythat took place Saturday night at a downtown apartment building.
• A program in Chilliwack has paired 53 seniors in thecommunity with 47 young people to foster pandemic relationships over Zoom or the phone.
• A pub trivia night held earlier this month in Port Moody has now been connected to more than 300 cases of COVID-19.
• First Nations leaders in B.C. say the province's updated COVID-19 immunization plan deviates from national guidelines that say priority should be given to all Indigenous adults within the first two stages of vaccine rollout.
• So you got your COVID-19 shot. Does that mean life goes back to normal?

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of 4p.m. PT Monday Canada had reported 870,033 cases of COVID-19, with 30,430 cases considered active.

A total of 22,017 people have died.