B.C. records 589 new cases of COVID-19 as officials welcome new vaccine approvals

British Columbia health officials say the federal government's approval of two new vaccines is encouraging news and one more layer of protection to help get the province through the pandemic.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a statement that approval of the vaccines by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Verity-Serum Institute of India is an "exciting" step forward.

The statement says the new vaccines are "fridge stable," making them easier to transport and distribute across the province.

British Columbia announced 589 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday along with seven more deaths.

But the statement cautioned that the case numbers are considered provisional, due to delays in its lab reporting system.

More than 250,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., while roughly 73,000 of those are second doses.