First doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrive in B.C.; Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. will administer first vaccines tomorrow

The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in British Columbia and will start to be administered on Tuesday.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the vaccine's arrival is "momentous" news, but warned it doesn't mean it's safe to break physical distancing restrictions.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is being used in the regions covered by the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities and will be given to workers in long-term care facilities.

There were 2,146 new cases of COVID-19 over the last three days, bringing the total number of infections to 42,943 since the pandemic began.

There were 49 new deaths over the same three-day period for a total of 647 fatalities.

With less than two weeks to go until Christmas, Henry reiterated that no event or gathering, small or large, is considered safe as she encouraged people to celebrate virtually.