What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. for Dec. 7

THE LATEST:

• Canada expects to receive doses of the Pfizer vaccine before the end of 2020.
• Dr. Bonnie Henry has extended province-wide restrictions on social gatherings, travel and sports to midnight on January 8. 
• All events and gatherings are also banned until that time with some exceptions.
• An outbreak was declared at a mink farm in the Fraser Valley.
• Health officials announced 2,020 new cases over the weekend, as well as 35 more deaths.
• As of Monday, there are 9,380 active cases of COVID-19 across B.C.
• 359 patients are in hospital, with 77 in intensive care.
• 527 people in B.C. have died of the disease since the pandemic began.

Provincewide COVID-19 restrictions in B.C. have been extended to Jan. 8 at midnight.

This means residents will continue to only be able to socialize with people in their household. All events and gatherings are also banned until that time, with the exception of drive-thru and drop-off events, such as toy drives and light shows. 

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie emphasized that the measures cover the holiday season, adding that now is not the time to plan large family gatherings or travel.

Although the previous orders were set to expire at midnight Monday,  Henry said the risk continues to be very high and the restrictions are important to continue to protect those most vulnerable. 

"Our sacrifices are making a difference and we can't let that go now, particularly when we know that things like vaccines are so close and that we will save lives by taking these measures and staying small and staying local over the next few weeks," Henry said at her press conference Monday.

On Monday, Henry announced a total of 2,020 new cases over the weekend and 35 new deaths. There were 647 cases between Friday and Saturday, 726 cases between Saturday and Sunday, and 647 cases between Sunday and Monday. 

The province now has 9,380 active cases. A total of 359 people are in hospital, with 77 people in intensive care. 

The death toll stands at 527.

• Help CBC British Columbia tell your COVID-19 stories

Canada expects to receive hundreds of thousands of doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine before the end of the calendar year, the federal government announced Monday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said up to 249,000 doses of the two-dose vaccine will arrive by year's end.

• Read more about the Pfizer vaccine here

Henry was optimistic about the arrival of the vaccine, calling it a "light at the end of the tunnel."

She said details about how the earliest doses of the vaccine will be distributed will be announced later this week. 

New outbreak at mink farm

The Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia announced on Sunday that eight people have tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak at a mink farm in the region east of Vancouver.

Fraser Health has not said if any transmission has occurred between people on the farm and the animals. Animals at the farm are also being tested for the virus.

Thousands of minks were culled in Denmark last month after 11 people were sickened by a mutated version of the coronavirus that had been observed among the animals.

• Stay informed by joining our CBC Vancouver Facebook group on COVID-19

Churches continue to congregate

Three churches in the Fraser Valley, just east of Vancouver, continued to hold in-person services Sunday morning despite a provincial health order that prohibits in-person gatherings. One of the churches was fined $2,300 in late November.   

Sunday, on Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, workers on the frontline of gender-based violence called to be recognized and funded as essential workers.

READ MORE:

• The Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia says eight people have tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak at a mink farm in the region east of Vancouver.
• Workers on the frontline of gender-based violence are calling to be recognized and funded as essential workers.
• Three churches in the Fraser Valley continued to hold in-person services Sunday morning despite a provincial health order that prohibits in-person gatherings in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.  
• The popular singer of 'O Canada' at Vancouver Canucks hockey games says he knew he might lose his job for standing up against COVID-19 restrictions.
• The Fraser Health authority is changing the way it notifies people in schools about COVID-19 exposures.

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Canada's COVID-19 case count stood at 423,057, with 71,539 of those cases considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 12,777.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, also warned Friday that daily new cases could top 10,000 by January. Alberta announced Friday its positivity rate for COVID-19 is now 10.5 per cent, which the province's chief medical health officer called a "grim milestone."

A BioNTech executive says Canada is well-positioned to approve Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine soon — and it could be delivered to the country very quickly after that.

The Pfizer/BioNTech product — which was recently greenlit in the U.K. for emergency use — could receive approval from Health Canada as soon as this coming week. Health regulators are currently reviewing three other vaccines produced by Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen.

Canada's National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told CBC's The Early Edition Monday that simulation exercises are  being conducted across the country as the military prepares for when a vaccine is ready.

These exercises, he said, are designed to determine how best to transport, store and distribute the doses.

"We will be ready to receive as soon as the companies are ready to deliver them," said Sajjan.