Health officials on Tuesday reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and, for the first time in weeks, no new deaths.
There are now 2,541 confirmed cases of the disease in the province. Of those, 2,122 patients have fully recovered, or about 84 per cent.
“Today, we’re able to report no new deaths for the first time in quite a few weeks, and we want to be able to do this every day so no more families have to deal with the loss of somebody they love,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
B.C.’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 161.
Officials have begun sharing the number of active cases in the province, as it slowly declines. Today, the number is 258.
Meanwhile, 37 patients are in hospital, seven of whom are in intensive care.
Henry said there are no new outbreaks at health-care facilities, and that an outbreak at Richmond Hospital is now over.
“The numbers we see today are very hopeful,” Henry said, although she could not set a specific date on when families will be able to visit loved ones in long-term care again.
The National Hockey League announced Tuesday that Vancouver is one of several candidates to become a “hub city” if the league resumes play.
Henry again expressed support for the idea, but said the province is “not bending the rules in any way that would put what we have achieved here in B.C. at risk.”