More than 70,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine distributed by end of the week

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Monday COVID-19 Update

COVID-19 case counts in the island health region set a new weekend record, with 59 new cases reported since Friday and one death. There have been 13 deaths related to COVID-19 in the Island Health region since the start of the pandemic. It is not known if the most recent death is the result of outbreaks at any of the three senior care homes on Vancouver Island. Currently, there are 187 active cases of the virus in Island Health. Province-wide, there were 1475 new cases confirmed and 22 deaths since Friday. Back to school has meant more exposure to the virus. Six schools in the Island Health region are reporting exposures, including Duncan Christian School, Quamichan middle school and Cowichan Secondary in Duncan as well as the Distance Education Centre on Smith Road in Courtenay and St Michael's University School in Victoria.

Rollout continues of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine in B.C.

The provincial health officer says protocols are evolving as more is being learned with the roll out of vaccine in BC. Dr. Bonnie Henry says immunizations are now being targeted to senior care facilities that are experiencing outbreaks. However, she says not everyone will benefit from those immunizations.

"People who are positive today who have symptoms, the vaccine is unfortunately not going to give them benefit, but we do want to give it to people who have been exposed who are in the incubation period. Some of those people, it will be too late. They will already have enough virus that they will develop illness, regardless of having the vaccine but for some people, if they have not yet been exposed in an outbreak situation, it will prevent that next generation of exposures and that's what we're hoping for."—Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

More than 70,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will have been distributed in BC by the end of this week. Some concerns have been raised about how many care home workers may refuse to be immunized. Henry says the uptake has been very high and she will present those numbers on Thursday.

Rental vacancies have increased by 7 per cent

The Ministry of Finance says the province's speculation tax has led to an increase in long term rentals. A statement from the Ministry says vacancy rates across the province have increased by 7 per cent. It says taxation data from 2019 reveals the levy encouraged owners to “repurpose” formerly vacant properties into long-term rentals, but no hard numbers were provided. More than $130 million dollars has been raised by the tax since it was introduced in 2018. All revenues from it helps fund housing, shelter or rental initiatives in the five regional districts where the tax applies, including Lantzville and Nanaimo.