Active cases have risen above the 6,000 mark again and there were a number of deaths.

As the outbreak in the Central Okanagan is being brought under control, new and active cases in Interior Health have continued to be lower than Fraser Health, which has resumed being the leading hot spot in the province.

Curiously, Vancouver Coastal Health, which frequently followed Fraser Health with the second most cases throughout the pandemic, had the lower number of new cases out of the five regional health authorities today.

It remains to be seen if this continues as a trend or is simply an anomaly. However, active cases have been consistently decreasing in Vancouver Coastal Health over recent weeks and decreased in the region today.

Yesterday, Health Canada announced that it authorized brand name changes for COVID-19 vaccines.

The name changes are as follows:

• the AstraZeneca vaccine will be named Vaxzevria;
• the Moderna vaccine will be named Spikevax;
• the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will now be named Comirnaty.

Meanwhile, the B.C. Health Ministry is continuing to use the company names for vaccines.

B.C. update: September 17

Today, the B.C. Health Ministry is reporting 768 new COVID-19 cases (including 19 epi-linked cases).

Currently, there are 6,031 active cases, which is an increase of 187 cases since yesterday.

As of today, there are 298 individuals are in hospital (seven more than yesterday) and 135 of those patients are in intensive care units (one more than yesterday).

The new and active cases include:

• 239 new cases in Fraser Health, with 1,846 total active cases (62 more cases than yesterday);
• 183 new cases in Interior Health, with 1,499 total active cases (five fewer cases than yesterday);
• 161 new cases in Northern Health, with 933 total active cases (76 more cases);
• 102 new cases in Island Health, with 700 total active cases (62 more cases);
• 83 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, with 1,043 total active cases (eight fewer cases);
• no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada, with 10 total active cases (same number as yesterday).

Tragically, 11 new COVID-19-related deaths have been reported, which include two in Fraser Health, four in Vancouver Coastal Health, and five in Interior Health. The overall total number of fatalities is now at 1,888 people who have died.

With 570 recoveries since yesterday, a total of 169,653 people who tested positive have now recovered.

During the pandemic, B.C. has reported a cumulative total of 177,954 COVID-19 cases.

Vaccinations

As of today, 86.5 percent (4,008,076) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of vaccine and 78.9 percent (3,659,495) have received their second dose.

In addition, 87 percent (3,764,087) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 79.8 percent (3,452,697) have received their second dose.

Since December, B.C. administered 7,675,294 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines.

Outbreaks and exposures

None of the five regional health authorities declared any new healthcare or community outbreaks, and also didn’t list any new public exposures or business closures.

Healthcare facility outbreaks have been declared over at:

• Menno Home in Abbotsford (Fraser Health);
• Opal by Element in Vancouver (Vancouver Coastal Health);
• Sunset Lodge in Victoria (Island Health).

Island Health stated that in the outbreak at Sunset Lodge, there was a total of 36 cases (15 staff and 21 residents), with six deaths of residents.

Currently, there are a total of 20 active outbreaks, including:

• longterm care: Northcrest Care Centre, Westminster House, Menno Terrace East (Fraser Health); Arbutus Care Centre, Louis Brier Home and Hospital (Vancouver Coastal Health); Village at Mill Creek, Cottonwoods Care Centre, Brookhaven Care Centre, Spring Valley Care Centre, Kamloops Seniors Village, Hillside Village, The Hamlets at Westsyde, Joseph Creek Care Village (Interior Health); and Jubilee Lodge (Northern Health);
• acute care: Chilliwack General Hospital (Fraser Health); Fort St. John Hospital (Northern Health); and Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (Interior Health);
• assisted or independent living: David Lloyd Jones, Sun Pointe Village, and Hardy View Lodge (Interior Health).

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control added the following seven flights to its lists of potential public exposures:

• September 7: North Cariboo Air 1541, Terrace to Vancouver;
• September 9: Air Canada 244, Vancouver to Edmonton;
• September 9: Air Canada/Jazz 8841, San Francisco to Vancouver;
• September 10: Air Canada 239, Edmonton to Vancouver;
• September 10: Air Canada 288, Vancouver to Terrace;
• September 13: Flair 602, Calgary to Abbotsford;
• September 14: Air Canada 861, London to Vancouver.