COVID-19 update for May 15: 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 novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for May 16, 2021.

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

As of the latest figures given on May 14:

• Total number of confirmed cases: 138,304 (5,548 active cases)
• New cases since May 13: 494
• Total deaths: 1,634 (two new deaths)
• Hospitalized cases: 387
• Intensive care: 141
• Total vaccinations: 2,393,265 doses administered; 124,880 second doses
• Recovered from acute infection: 130,953
• Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 5

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IN-DEPTH:COVID-19: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus

B.C. GUIDES AND LINKS

• COVID-19: Here’s everything you need to know about the novel coronavirus

• COVID-19: Here’s how to get your vaccination shot in B.C.

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

• COVID-19: Five things to know about the P1 variant spreading in B.C.

• COVID-19: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021

• COVID-19: Have you been exposed? Here are all B.C. public health alerts

• COVID-19 at B.C. schools: Here are the school district exposure alerts

• COVID-19: Avoid these hand sanitizers that are recalled in Canada

• 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.

8 a.m. – COVID-19 gender gap: B.C. women are getting vaccinated at higher rates than men

Across Canada, more women are getting COVID-19 vaccines — and getting vaccinated at higher rates — than men, even though men are more likely to contract serious COVID cases and die from the disease.

It’s a trend playing out in every province and territory across Canada, except for the Northwest Territories.

According to federal data on vaccination coverage, in B.C., 1,120,541 women had received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine compared to 924,287 men by May 8, a startling difference of 196,254 even though there’s roughly an equal number of men and women in the province.

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The gender disparity persists across most age groups in B.C. In cohorts younger than 50, women are getting vaccinated at seven to nine percentage points higher than men as of May 8. That gap is narrower for people age 50 to 69, but doesn’t even out until they hit 70.

When asked for vaccination uptake figures, the B.C. Health Ministry said of nearly 1.8 million vaccines administered, 55 per cent were given to women. It was not able to provide a breakdown by age ranges.

– Cheryl Chan

8 a.m. – B.C. pushes vaccine registration as only 260,000 are signed up who haven’t had jab

The B.C. government is trying to hammer home the message that more people need to register for a COVID-19 vaccination.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix implored this week: “Register. Register. Register.”

There’s a reason for that, not visible in the information the B.C. NDP government has been providing publicly so far.

Of the more than 2.5 million people who have registered for a vaccine, only 260,000 were still waiting for a jab as of May 11, the latest information the province was able to provide in response to a Postmedia request.

B.C. Health Ministry officials say on average another 50,000 people are registering a day (they did not say whether that number is rising or falling). But more than that are being vaccinated each day, about 159,000 from Wednesday to Friday.

While it’s only a snapshot in time, the number of people registered and not vaccinated is not enough to get British Columbia to the number of vaccinations required to significantly ease restrictions, says epidemiologist Sarah Otto.

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More than a million more British Columbians need to register for a vaccination and receive one in order to get to those safety levels, said Otto, a UBC zoologist who specializes in mathematical modelling.

– Gordon Hoekstra

8 a.m. – Police arrest Calgary mayoral candidate for attending illegal gathering

Calgary police have arrested far-right agitator Kevin J. Johnston, the day after Alberta Health Services obtained a restraining order against him because he threatened harm to AHS employees.

Police said in a news release Saturday evening officers arrested Johnston for attending an illegal public gathering against a provincial health order issued earlier this month.

The illegal gathering took place Saturday morning, police said, though the service did not release details on the nature of the gathering and could not be immediately reached by Postmedia Saturday evening.

On Friday, an Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench judge granted AHS the restraining order against Johnston, prohibiting him from a wide array of activities, including recording AHS officials, being within 100 metres of any AHS public health officer and uttering any threats against AHS employees.

Johnston, a fringe mayoral candidate in Calgary’s upcoming municipal election, has publicly threatened AHS employees, vowing to share their personal information online. He has also said he would visit the homes of AHS staff while armed.

Johnston has previously faced assault and hate-related charges in British Columbia and Ontario.

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The arrest Saturday was not under the recently granted restraining order, however. Johnston was arrested under a separate Court of Queen’s Bench Order obtained by Alberta Health Services May 6, which applies to gatherings held in contravention of the public health orders.

– Postmedia

B.C. VACCINE TRACKER

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