With the number of COVID-19 cases continuing to escalate, the provincial government is requiring people to produce proof of vaccination.

On Monday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that starting Sept. 13, proof of vaccination will be required in B.C. for people attending certain social and recreational settings and events.

In response, around 40 anti-vax protesters held a rally in Campbell River’s Spirit Square the following day.

“It’s the ultimate place of discrimination. It will create a two-tier system,” Maria Sanchez, of Hugs Over Masks, told the Campbell River Mirror.

According to the Ministry of Health, more than 83 per cent of the new cases reported in British Columbia between Aug. 10-23 were people who were not fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, statistics from Island Health show that the number of active cases in North Vancouver Island have more than doubled in a week. Most of them appear to be in the Comox Valley.

Specific data, for local health areas, is released as weekly statistics on a map. Yesterday, the BC Centre for Disease Control reported that there were 43 cases in the Comox Valley in the epi-week from August Week from Sunday, Aug. 15 to Saturday, Aug. 21. The previous epi-week there were 16.

During those same time frames: the number of cases in the Greater Campbell River Health Area has increased from 6 to 8; in Vancouver Island North went from 1 to 3 and the virus has returned to Vancouver Island West.

All of the cases in this time frame were of the Delta variant.