COVID-19 update for March 5-6: Health officials report 340 new cases, eight deaths | Rapid test kits available Monday for people aged 60+

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Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in BC

Publishing date:

Mar 05, 2022 • 57 minutes ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation

Here's your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in BC
Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in BC Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus /PNG

Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in BC for March 5-6, 2022.

We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in BC right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.

Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 pm by subscribing to our newsletter here.

BC’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS

Here are the latest figures given on March 4:

• Total number of confirmed cases: 349,944
• New cases: 340
• Total deaths: 2,903 (8 reported in past 24 hours)
• Hospitalized cases: 484
• Intensive care: 69
• Total vaccinations: 4,518,800 received first dose (90.7% of eligible pop. 5+); 4,305,507 second doses (86.4%); 2,594,873 third doses (56% of those 12+)
• Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 20

A FONDO: Here are all the BC cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020

BC GUIDES AND LINKS

• COVID-19: BC’s vaccine passport is here and this is how it works

• COVID-19: Afraid of needles? Here’s how to overcome your fear and get vaccinated

• COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver

• BC COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

LATEST NEWS on COVID-19 in BC

3 pm or later – Health officials are set to share latest figures on COVID-19 in BC

Health officials are expected to update the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and recoveries across the province.

Rapid test kits available Monday for people aged 60+

Rapid antigen test kits will be available at pharmacies for people aged 60 and older starting Monday, said the BC health ministry.

Eligible people can pick up a free five-test kit every 28 days at participating pharmacies.

The tests are meant for people to use at home if they develop symptoms of COVID-19. Tests should be picked up before they get sick.

484 hospitalizations, eight deaths

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decline in BC, dipping below 500 for the first time since January.

On Friday, officials reported 484 people are in hospital with COVID-19, down from 511 reported on Thursday and the lowest since January 11, when 469 people were in hospital.

Out of the hospitalized patients, 69 are in intensive care. These figures include incidental cases where patients are admitted to hospital for another reason and tests positive for COVID-19 during routine testing.

Health officials also reported eight more deaths, bringing the death toll in the province to 2,903 since the start of the pandemic.

New infections were down from 391 on Thursday to 340 on Friday, though the number is an undercount due to restrictions on PCR testing. Interior Health reported the highest number of new cases, at 113. Fraser Health reported 71; Island Health, 65; Northern Health, 50; and Vancouver Coastal Health, 41.

—Cheryl Chan

Hong Kong reports 37,529 new COVID-19 cases, 150 deaths

Hong Kong reported 37,529 new coronavirus infections on Saturday and 150 deaths, as the city clings to a “zero-COVID” strategy despite spiraling cases that have spread through care homes and overwhelmed healthcare facilities.

Many supermarket shelves were bare again on Saturday even as the government said there was plenty of fresh food supplies from the mainland and the public should not over-purchase.

Two of the city’s largest consumer retail chains started rationing some food and drug items on Friday to curb panic buying amid fears of a citywide lockdown.

—Reuters

What Canadians can expect at the movies as COVID restrictions ease

Amid the current loosening of provincial COVID restrictions is the release of the hotly anticipated The Batman directed by Matt Reeves, which is set to have its wide release on March 4.

People can understandably be confused at what to expect when going to movie theatres, as public health restrictions are changing rapidly and vary widely by province.

Read here for a compilation of all current health measures for movie theaters for provinces and territories in Canadato make use of when going to check out the latest Batman flick.

—Adam Hussain, special to National Post

DEATHS BY HEALTH AUTHORITY

LOCAL RESOURCES for COVID-19 information

Here are a number of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.

• BC COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

• Vancouver Coastal Health – Information on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

• HealthLink BC – Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page

• BC Center for Disease Control – Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

• Government of Canada – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update

• World Health Organization – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

–with files from The Canadian Press

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