COVID-19

B.C. finds 485 new cases of COVID-19; community cluster identified in Fernie

Jan 27, 2021 | 3:25 PM

VICTORIA — B.C. is reporting an additional 485 cases of COVID-19 Wednesday (Jan. 27), with 83 of those cases recorded within Interior Health.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the new cases lift B.C.’s total to 65,719 since the pandemic began, spread out as follows:

  • 15,013 — Vancouver Coastal (up by 115)
  • 39,843 — Fraser Health (up by 210)
  • 1,537 — Island Health (up by 45)
  • 6,010 — Interior Health (up by 83)
  • 3,283 — Northern Health (up by 32)
  • 138 — Reside outside of Canada (unchanged)

There are 4,299 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. Wednesday, up 39 from Tuesday. Among them, 303 patients are hospitalized and 74 are in intensive care.

Active cases within Interior Health are up to 1,008, an increase of 23 from Tuesday. There are 48 people in hospital with 16 in critical care.

The death toll in the province has risen by four to 1,172. Two of the four deaths took place at a long-term care facility in Vernon, lifting the Interior Health death toll to 68.

Henry reports at least 6,520 people under active public health monitoring because they have been directly exposed to COVID-19.

The total of people considered fully recovered has reached 58,778, or 89 per cent of all recorded cases.

Meantime, 124,365 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to British Columbians, 4,160 of which were second doses.

Interior Health noted a new community cluster of COVID-19 cases in Fernie and surrounding area.

According to a news release, there have been 81 cases of the virus in the small West Kootenay skiing community since the beginning of the new year. Sixty-three of the cases remain active.

IH says there is no single location identified as the nexus of spread. Instead, local social gatherings are responsible for transmission.