VANCOUVER -- Health officials in British Columbia have announced three more deaths from COVID-19 and another 18 positive infections.
Wednesday's update from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix brings the province's death toll to 186, and the total number of cases identified since the start of the pandemic to 3,008.
"We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic," Henry and Dix said in a joint written statement.
All three of the deceased were from the Vancouver Coastal Health region, which spans from Richmond to Whistler and also includes several communities further up the coast.
Officials said 15 people have also recovered from the virus since their last update on Tuesday, bringing B.C.'s total number of recoveries to 2,660.
The province's active caseload remains at 162, with 17 people in hospital, three of whom are in intensive care. The other people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation, Henry and Dix said.
Officials had no new outbreaks to report in health-care facilities or in the community. The outbreak at Tabor Home was declared over this week, leaving two active outbreaks at long-term care homes and one at an acute care facility.
The remaining seniors' homes fighting COVID-19 outbreaks are Holy Family Hospital in Vancouver and Maple Hill in Langley.
Health workers are also dealing with a "community exposure event" that happened at the No5 Orange strip club in Vancouver on Canada Day.
"If you have been to a location with a community exposure event, monitor yourself for symptoms, limit your contact with others and contact 811 to arrange for testing if any symptoms develop," Henry and Dix said.
"Contact tracing to contain the spread of COVID-19 requires all of our involvement to be successful."
Officials also urged the public to continue following pandemic precautions and rules for safe social interactions, noting that "one slip can quickly cause a surge in new cases."
