Health officials on Monday reported 294 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. over the past three days and four new deaths, as the number of active cases in the province continues to surge.
There were 86 cases from Friday to Saturday while 107 cases were reported from Saturday to Sunday, and 101 from Sunday to Monday. Three of the cases were epi-linked.
There are now a record-high 1,107 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Officials also announced four new COVID-19 deaths, three of them in long-term care, bringing the provincial death toll to 208.
The number of people in hospital with the virus has increased by five to 28, the highest total since June 3. Ten of those patients are in intensive care, the most since May 20.
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Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said 2,723 people are in self-isolation.
There have been 5,790 total cases of the virus in the province. Of those, 4,466 patients have fully recovered, or about 77 per cent.
The province reported its highest-ever single-day jump in new COVID-19 cases on Friday. Officials said in a statement that the province had recorded 124 new cases of the virus. The previous single-day record was 109.
Henry reiterated that the number of COVID-19 cases that are not linked to other known cases remains low, and health officials are working to manage known clusters and exposure events.
She called on British Columbians to “slow down” their social interactions as summer comes to an end.
“We need all of us to take a step back and refocus,” she said.
“We’ve been in that messy middle for the last few months, and we’ve been able to do a lot of things that we hadn’t been able to do for quite a few months, and that’s because we all worked together and got the rates quite low here in this province.”
As we head into respiratory illness season, Henry said, it’s time to go back to basics, such as washing hands, keeping social circles small, keeping a safe distance from others, wearing masks and staying home at the slightest sign of being sick.
“No one knows for sure what the fall is going to bring. … We all need to be prepared now for whatever challenge may emerge.”
Monday’s press briefing comes after the province faced criticism from the B.C. Teachers’ Federation for a new ad aimed at parents and students heading back to class under new COVID-19 protocols.
In the ad, Henry runs through a few of the precautions that will be in place: frequent hand washing, student learning cohorts and the use of masks in some situations.
BCTF president Teri Mooring says the advertisement doesn’t paint an accurate picture of what schools will look like.
— With files from Simon Little
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