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B.C.’s COVID-19 decline continues with 444 new cases Tuesday

12 more deaths, two outbreaks in health care
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A nurse holds a phial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Guy’s Hospital in London, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, as the U.K. health authorities rolled out a national mass vaccination program. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)

B.C. has recorded another 444 COVID-19 cases, bringing the number of active cases in the province to 9,481, with 357 in hospital.

Another 12 coronavirus-related deaths were reported Dec. 22, as two additional outbreaks were identified in the health care system, indicating at least one case identified. One is at an acute-care ward at Surrey Memorial Hospital, and the other at Laurel Place long-term care home in Surrey.

A new community outbreak has been identified at Highline Farms in the Fraser Health region, which continues to record the most new cases with 256 of the latest. Another 79 were diagnosed in Vancouver Coastal, 78 in Interior Health, 22 in Northern Health and nine on Vancouver Island.

Immunization continues for front-line health care workers, with more than 4,100 having received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine so far. Vaccination clinics are underway in all health regions.

“Vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna have also provided guidance on how to safely transport the approved vaccines,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a statement. “This means that as deliveries increase in the coming weeks, the vaccine will increasingly be available in more locations.”

There were 652 cases reported Saturday, 486 on Sunday and 529 on Monday, after B.C.’s daily case count peaked at nearly 1,000 in November.

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@tomfletcherbc
tfletcher@blackpress.ca

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