B.C. reports 13 new cases of COVID-19, no new deaths

Health officials on Tuesday reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and no new deaths.

There are 3,128 confirmed cases of the disease in the province. Of those, 2,730 patients have fully recovered, or about 87 per cent. B.C. now has 209 active cases.

The number of patients in hospital is unchanged at 14, with five of them in intensive care.

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The province’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 189.

Tuesday’s COVID-19 numbers come after the province recorded 20 or more cases of the disease for five straight days.

On Monday, the province reported 62 cases of the disease over a three-day span. On Friday, health officials reported 25 COVID-19 cases, the most since May 8.

Twenty cases were reported on Thursday.

“We’ve had more than we’re used to seeing in the last few days. This is not unexpected,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a Tuesday media briefing.

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Henry said the increase is a reflection of increased social interactions, and public health officials are working to track each case of the disease.

She went on to say the British Columbians can get “out there and be active, but we need you to do that safely.”

B.C.’s health minister said Monday that several COVID-19 exposures linked to the city of Kelowna are believed to stem from private parties held by people in their 20s and 30s.

Adrian Dix said the cases involved people from three different regions of B.C. and serve as a reminder of the risks posed by private gatherings.

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Henry said there are no plans to consider further restrictions on indoor gatherings.

“I don’t believe it’s good to shut things down because it just drives things underground,” she said.

“It’s much better for us to work with industry, to work with residents, to work with people and say, ‘How can we do this in the best possible way, in the safest possible way?'”

— With files from The Canadian Press