B.C. adds 179 more COVID-19 cases to its total and three new deaths

British Columbia added another 179 cases of COVID-19 to its provincial tally on Friday.

Forty of those cases were “historical” diagnoses from the Vancouver Coastal Health region, some dating back to early August, while 139 were reported as new since Thursday.

The historical cases related to individuals who didn’t have personal health numbers.

3:09 B.C. health officials report 179 new COVID-19 cases, 40 historical cases and three deaths

In a written statement, health officials also reported three new deaths, bringing B.C.’s total to 223.

B.C.’s active cases climbed to 1,803, a new record, while another 3,075 people were in isolation due to potential exposure to the virus.

Fifty-nine people were in hospital, 20 of them in critical or intensive care.

About 74 per cent of B.C.’s 7,842 total cases had recovered.