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Jan 26, 2021 6:32 PM -

British Columbia is at a critical juncture in the fight against COVID-19, Dr. Henry says she's "very concerned"

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File - Dr. Bonnie Henry can be seen replying to questions during a news conference. (B.C. Government)

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is warning that British Columbia is at a critical juncture in the fight against COVID-19.

New variants originally identified in South Africa and the United Kingdom have made their way to BC, and with new cases plateauing at around 500 a day, Dr. Henry says she's "very concerned."

She says the strategy for fighting the new variants is the same as for the predominant strain and urged British Columbians not to travel right now unless it's essential.

At the same time, she says officials are temporarily widening the gap between two doses of the Pfizer vaccine to 42 days from 35 amid delivery delays.

Dr. Henry provided an update on B.C.'s vaccine supply on Monday while reporting 26 more deaths linked to the illness and 1,344 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed over the last three days.

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