What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. for Jan. 4

THE LATEST:

• Health officials report 2,211 new cases over past four days and 45 additional deaths.
• B.C. has 6,823 active cases of COVID-19 as of Monday. So far, 946 people have died of the disease.
• There are 351 COVID-19 patients in hospital including 76 in intensive care.
• As of Monday, 24,139 British Columbians have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Vaccinations have begun in rural and remote parts of B.C., including some First Nations communities.
• A Fraser Valley homeless shelter has declared a COVID-19 outbreak after 25 clients were diagnosed.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix reported 2,211 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. over the past four days and 45 more deaths.

It was the first update since Thursday, when 683 new cases and eight more deaths were announced.

As of Monday, B.C. has 6,823 active cases of COVID-19 and 946 people have died of the disease.

There are 351 COVID-19 patients in hospital including 76 in intensive care, health officials reported.

Henry said 24,139 people in B.C. have received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccination as of Jan. 3. The province aims to provide vaccines to 3,300 people a day over the next two weeks.

She added all of B.C.'s vaccine supply received so far will go toward first doses for priority populations until late January. Second doses will be delivered 35 days after the first dose. 

Homeless shelter outbreak

Fraser Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at a Chilliwack homeless shelter, after more than three dozen people tested positive for the illness.

The health authority on Monday said 25 clients and 12 staff at The Portal shelter have been diagnosed and it's not clear how the virus got into the shelter.

The shelter operators are managing an isolation centre at the Travelodge Hotel in Chilliwack for any clients testing positive for COVID-19.

Back to school worries

Students across B.C. returned to school on Monday morning after the winter break. At Earl Marriott Secondary in Surrey, nearly 50 cases of COVID-19 were linked to five classes at the high school just before the break began.

District superintendent Jordan Tinney said in a letter all students in the five classes were required to self-isolate over the break. The five classes with identified cases shared common spaces and Tinney said the district will "learn from this episode" moving forward.

In Tsawwassen, 51 residents at The Waterford seniors home have tested positive for COVID-19 since a case was first confirmed on Dec. 26. Six employees have also been diagnosed with the disease, with testing still underway.

Leading up to the new year, both Henry and Dix asked people in B.C. to keep celebrations small and to individual households only in hopes of preventing a surge of cases in early 2021.

The province also banned the sale of alcohol after 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve and until 9 a.m. on New Year's Day to try and limit excessive partying.

Some police forces around the province reported busy nights on New Year's Eve, breaking up gatherings that went against provincial orders, and handing out fines under under B.C.'s COVID-19 Related Measures Act.

• Stay informed by joining our CBC Vancouver Facebook group on COVID-19 

Fewer people getting tested over holidays

B.C. has seen a downward trend in cases since restrictions on events and social gatherings took effect across the province in late November.

However, officials suspect that a lower number of tests completed over the holidays might be driving recent lower case counts.

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Since the last provincial update on COVID-19, Interior Health has declared an outbreak at Creekside Landing in Vernon, with two residents and two staff testing positive for the virus.

The Snuneymuxw First Nation near Nanaimo asked residents to shelter-in-place after seven cases of the virus were confirmed in the community.

The Cowichan Tribes First Nation near Duncan also asked residents to stay close to home after cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in their community.

Mandatory negative test needed to travel to Canada

The federal government announced on Dec. 30, 2020 that air passengers entering Canada will soon need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before arriving in the country.

Under the new protocol, travellers must receive a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within a 72-hour period prior to boarding a plane. 

The measure does not replace the federal government's mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

READ MORE:

• All three provincial political parties in B.C. say none of their members have travelled unnecessarily outside their regions this holiday season, unlike some politicians elsewhere in Canada.
• Family members say they want more answers about how COVID-19 outbreaks were handled at the long-term care facilities hardest hit by the pandemic.
• B.C. has given the green light for National Hockey League games to be played in the province during the upcoming 2021 season.
• A British Columbia mom who gave birth while in an induced coma because of COVID-19 says she was released from hospital just in time to spend Christmas at home with her family, and calls the experience "surreal."

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of Sunday, Canada's COVID-19 death toll was at 15,865, according to tracking done by CBC News.

The Government of Canada COVID-19 dashboard has not been updated since Dec. 30.

As of Sunday, Canada's total case count was to 601,656.