B.C. reports 1,005 new COVID-19 cases as hospitalization records toppled again

The number of COVID-19 patients in B.C.’s hospitals and ICUs set new records Friday, as the province reported 1,005 new cases and six additional deaths.

In a written statement, health officials said there were 425 people in hospital, 127 of them in critical or intensive care.

The number of active cases also set a new record at 10,081, with an additional 15,877 people isolating due to potential exposure.

Of the new cases, 259 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 536 were in the Fraser Health region, 49 were in the Island Health region, 110 were in the Interior Health region and 51 in the Northern Health region.

The province has administered at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to 1.28 million people, about 23.2 per cent of the population.

Of those, 87,970 have been second doses.

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B.C. has recorded a total of 117,080 cases, while 1,530 people have died.

On Thursday, the province presented new modelling showing that new cases could climb as high as 3,000 per day if people do not reduce their contacts.

Officials are urging people to adhere to public health orders banning indoor gatherings.  Outdoor gatherings should be kept small, and should always be with the same people.

“If you choose to see a close friend for brunch on a patio, then make sure it is the same friend every time. If you decide to have a barbecue in your backyard, then keep to your roommates or family only. Or, if you visit your neighbourhood park with another family, then make it with only one other family and do activities that allow everyone to keep a safe distance from each other,” officials said in a statment.

“It is easy to look for loopholes, but rather let’s look for how we can keep each other safe.”