COVID-19 update for March 21: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

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Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the coronavirus situation in B.C. for March 21, 2022.

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We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. 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 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.

B.C.’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS

Here are the latest figures given on March 18:

• Total number of confirmed cases: 353,578
• New cases: 290
• Total deaths: 2,966 (six in the past 24 hours)
• Hospitalized cases: 290
• Intensive care: 46
• Total vaccinations: 4,524,510 received first dose (90.8{614fc3c32b079590f5b6a33afe99f1781dd92265c15f5c1e8aa861cac1d0c269} of eligible pop. 5+); 4,332,040 second doses (86.9{614fc3c32b079590f5b6a33afe99f1781dd92265c15f5c1e8aa861cac1d0c269}); 2,636,246 third doses (56.9{614fc3c32b079590f5b6a33afe99f1781dd92265c15f5c1e8aa861cac1d0c269} of those 12+)
• Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: Seven

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IN-DEPTH: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020

B.C. GUIDES AND LINKS

• COVID-19: B.C.’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

• B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

LATEST NEWS on COVID-19 in B.C.

3 p.m. or later – Health officials are set to share latest figures on COVID-19 in B.C.

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

Parents twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 than the child-free: poll

While more than half of parents say their children are enduring the COVID-19 pandemic well, a majority also confess that remote learning has been a challenge in their households and a third say their child’s academic performance has suffered in the last two years.

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In a new Angus Reid study released Monday, seven in 10 parents say their household has struggled with remote learning, with three-quarters noting their kids are getting more screen time and less in-person socializing compared to before the pandemic.

When it comes to academic performance, 36 per cent say their kids’ grades have suffered as a result over the past two years, while half say their children have maintained their grades. Just 14 per cent say their kids have excelled.

–Staff Reporter

B.C. records 199 new cases, six deaths

B.C. reported 199 new cases on Friday, along with six deaths.

There are 290 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in B.C. and 46 of those are receiving treatment in intensive care.

There are now 353,578 Covid-19 cases in the province.

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Five of the six deaths were in the Island health region and one was in Fraser health.

The government update said: “There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreak at Sidney Care Home (Island Health) has been declared over, for a total of seven facilities with ongoing outbreaks.

“From March 10-16, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 17.2{614fc3c32b079590f5b6a33afe99f1781dd92265c15f5c1e8aa861cac1d0c269} of cases. From March 3-16, they accounted for 26.2{614fc3c32b079590f5b6a33afe99f1781dd92265c15f5c1e8aa861cac1d0c269} of hospitalizations.”

Airline industry happy to see end of COVID testing requirements for Canadians

Vaccinated travellers will no longer need a negative COVID test to get into Canada, but rules around masking and vaccines are staying in place for now.

The federal government confirmed Thursday the new rules will start April 1 and will mark the first time in two years Canadians have been able to travel and return without any testing or mandatory requirement.

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Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the country is past the Omicron wave and Canadians have done their part.

“We are in a much better position now in March 2022 than we were in March 2020. High vaccination rates and strong adherence to public health measures have pushed us through the peak of the Omicron wave,” he said.

The new rules remove the requirement for travellers to get a COVID test before they return to Canada. The government had previously removed the requirement for testing on arrival. Travellers will still have to use the ArriveCan app to upload their vaccine information.

Read full story here.

— The National Post

(INSERT RECENT NEWS BRIEFS HERE)

DEATHS BY HEALTH AUTHORITY

WHAT’S HAPPENING ACROSS CANADA

LOCAL RESOURCES for COVID-19 information

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

• B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

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

• HealthLink B.C. – Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page

• B.C. Centre 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