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Mar 18, 2021 2:02 AM -

B.C. reports 498 new COVID-19 cases and 4 new deaths

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B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry during a news conference in Victoria. (B.C. Government)

British Columbia is reporting 498 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths, pushing the death toll in the province to 1,411.

Among more than 89,000 cases diagnosed to date, 4,851 are active, including 281 people who are in hospital.

A statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says no data about new cases of COVID-19 variants of concern is available today due to a lab sequencing issue.

BC had confirmed close to a thousand variant cases earlier this week.

More than 444,000 doses of three approved COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in BC and appointment bookings are now open for people aged 82 and older, along with Indigenous peoples over 65.

Dr. Henry and Dix are also reminding residents to stick to the same group of up to 10 people when gathering outdoors with safety measures in place.

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