Coronavirus: B.C. reports 5 new deaths, 40 new cases

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of five more British Columbians, provincial health officials said Friday.

The province said three of those deaths are linked to long-term care homes, which have now accounted for 33 of the 55 COVID-19 deaths in B.C.

The province confirmed 40 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the provincial total to 1,410.

Of those cases, 879 people have fully recovered.

Hospitalization numbers continued their slow downward trend Friday.

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The province said there were 128 people in hospital with COVID-19, down four from Thursday, and 65 people in intensive care, down three overnight.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in B.C. peaked at 149 on April 2, before holding steady over the weekend and declining throughout this week.

On Friday, the province announced that a makeshift hospital at the Vancouver Convention Centre — designed to accommodate non-COVID-19 patients should the outbreak worsen — was fully operational.