The jovial mood at today’s announcement about the province’s advancement to the third phase of the reopening plan was quite different from previous news conference. The brief joking around and smiles reflected the optimism and relief that the province can move even further towards resuming life as it was before the pandemic.

The next step in the reopening plan will include nightclubs and casinos reopening for the first time in over a year, many health restrictions being lifted, and more.

Dix also mentioned that there won’t be any further in-person B.C. COVID-19 updates on a regular basis, as they have been conducted since January 2020, but he said that information will still be provided through written briefings.

Heat wave and clinics

The heat wave, which has seen a surge in sudden deaths, continues to impact the delivery of vaccinations and testing at clinics throughout the province.

Island Health has had to rebook all appointments at scheduled for today (June 29) at Glacier Gardens in Comox and all appointments scheduled after 1 p.m. today at Eagle Ridge in Langford.

For those 12 years and above who need their first dose, Island Health is launching a temporary walk-in clinic from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today until Saturday (July 3), including the July 1 holiday, at the Warmland Church (1586 Joan Avenue) in Crofton.

B.C. update: June 29

Coinciding with the reopening announcement, there are lots of strong signs that B.C. has made great strides in reducing case numbers.

Today, B.C. is reporting only 29 new COVID-19 cases, which is the lowest number in months.

By region, the total includes:

• 10 new cases in Interior Health;
• seven in Vancouver Coastal Health;
• seven in Fraser Health;
• three in Island Health;
• two people from outside of Canada;
• no cases in Northern Health.

This is the second consecutive day that Northern Health has reported no new cases, and the fourth time within the past two weeks.

Currently, there are 876 active COVID-19 cases, which is 54 fewer cases since yesterday.

Hospitalizations are slightly up by three people to 110 individuals currently in hospitals, with 34 of those patients in intensive care units (three fewer since yesterday).

Good news: there are no new COVID-19-related deaths. The total number of fatalities in B.C. during the pandemic remains at 1,754 people who have died.

A cumulative total of 144,931 people have now recovered, which includes 83 recoveries since yesterday.

During the pandemic, B.C. has recorded a cumulative total of 147,578 cases.

In the provincial immunization program, 78.3 percent of all adults and 77 percent of those 12 and above have now received their first vaccine dose. In addition, 31.6 percent of all adults and 29.5 percent of those 12 and above have received their second dose.

Almost five million vaccine doses have been administered—a total of 4,941,795 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines have now been given in B.C., and 1,368,464 of those have been second doses.

More good news is that none of the five regional health authorities declared any new healthcare or community outbreaks, public exposure events, or business closures.

Also, none of the three major supermarket companies that publicly list staff COVID-19 cases—Loblaw, Sobeys, and T&T Supermarket (in addition to McDonald’s)—listed any new cases.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) added the following two flights to its public exposure lists:

• June 25: American Airlines Flight 1415, Dallas to Vancouver (affected rows 28 to 33);
• June 26: Air France Flight 74, Paris to Vancouver (affected rows 32 to 38).