B.C. records 497 new cases of COVID-19 and 3 more deaths

B.C. health officials announced 497 new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths on Friday.

In a written statement, the provincial government said there are currently 3,420active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

A total of 358people are in hospital, with109in intensive care.

Overall hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are down by nearly seven per cent from last Friday, when 384people were in hospital with the disease.

The number of patients in intensive care is down by about 12per cent from 124 a week ago.

The provincialdeath toll from COVID-19is now 2,293lives lost out of 214,636confirmed cases to date.

The regional breakdown of new cases is as follows:

• 146new cases in Interior Health, which has 657total active cases.
• 138new cases in Fraser Health, which has 1,244total active cases.
• 78new cases in Northern Health, which has 498 total active cases.
• 71 new cases in Island Health, which has 454 total active cases.
• 64new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, which has 511total active cases.
• There are nonew cases among people who reside outside of Canada, a group which has 56total active cases.

There are a total of 21active outbreaks in assisted living, long-termand acute care facilities.

A new outbreak has been declared at Laurier Manor, an assisted living facility in Prince George. The province has declared an outbreak at Rosemary Heights Seniors Village in Surrey over.

Acute care outbreaksinclude:

• Abbotsford Regional Hospital
• Burnaby Hospital
• Ridge Meadows Hospital
• Royal Inland Hospital
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

As of Friday, 90.8per cent of those 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of aCOVID-19 vaccineand 87 per cent asecond dose.

From Nov. 11 to 17, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 59.5 per cent of cases and from Nov. 4,they accounted for 70.4per cent of hospitalizations, according to the province.

So far, 8.5million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, including 4.03million second doses.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approved for children 5-11

On Friday morning Canadaapproved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11.

"After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, the department has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children between five and 11 years of age outweigh the risks," Health Canada wrote in a statement Friday morning.

"This is the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized in Canada for use in this age group and marks a major milestone in Canada's fight against COVID-19."

Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccineis delivered in dosesone-third the size of thosegiven to adults and kids 12 and older. Health Canada authorizeda two-dose regimen to be administered three weeks apart.

The first doses of the vaccine for those aged five to 11 will start to arrive in Canada on Sunday, Public Services and Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi said on Friday.

Tassisaid the government andPfizer-BioNTechhad agreed already to an accelerated delivery schedule and more than2.9 million doses will be shipped by the end of the week enoughto providea first dose to every eligible Canadian child.