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B.C. administers five millionth COVID-19 vaccine dose

Province records no deaths in two straight days for first time since October.
Bonnie Henry - bringing us back together
Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry on June 29 discusses the lifting of health restrictions

B.C. passed the five-million-vaccine-dose threshold on June 30, with health officials having administered 5,002,916 doses to 3,581,410 people, with 1,421,506 of those getting needed second doses, the province revealed June 30.

The vaccination campaign includes 61,121 doses in the past day, to 8,079 unvaccinated people and to 53,042 others as needed second doses. 

Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement that the numbers translate into 78.4% of all adults in B.C. having received at least one dose of vaccine, while 32.8% of all adults have had the needed two doses. Their number crunching also found that 77.1% of those aged 12 years and older have had at least one dose of vaccine, with 30.6% of those getting needed second doses. 

B.C.'s high proportion of the population that has had at least one dose of vaccine was part of the reason why Premier John Horgan yesterday announced that starting July 1, a wide range of health restrictions, including an order to wear masks inside public buildings and on public transit, will end. Wearing masks, after tomorrow, will simply be advised in those settings. 

In B.C., new infections have been trending downward, and active infections have fallen like a stone – with lower numbers in each of the province's 47 previous data updates. 

There are now 816 people in B.C. known to be battling COVID-19. That is the lowest total since August 20, when there were 780 such people. Before that string of consecutive declines in active cases, on April 23, there were 8,842 known active infections, or more than 10 times as many people as today.

On June 30, the province recorded 44 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total since January, 2020, to 147,621. The province considers more than 98.2%, or 145,032, of the infected people as having recovered because they have gone at least 10 days since first exhibiting symptoms, and are not thought to still be infectious. 

By health region, the newly detected 44 cases include:
• 12 in Vancouver Coastal Health (27.3%);
• 17 in Fraser Health (38.6%);
• one in Island Health (2.3%);
• 14 in Interior Health (31.8%); and
• no cases in Northern Health (0%).

Serious infections and deaths are also on the decline. 

The province on June 30 recorded two consecutive days with no COVID-19 deaths for the first time since October 22 and 23. 

The number of those hospitalized in B.C. fell by two overnight to 108, while a net total of 34 of those remain in intensive care units. 

No outbreaks at seniors' homes have been newly declared over.

That leaves active outbreaks at: 
• Laurel Place in Surrey;
• Hollyburn House in West Vancouver;
• Minoru Residence in Richmond;
• Glenwood Seniors' Community in Agassiz; and
• Rotary Manor in Dawson Creek.

There are also active outbreaks at Surrey Memorial Hospital and at Port Moody's Eagle Ridge Hospital. 

gkorstrom@biv.com

@GlenKorstrom