VANCOUVER -- B.C. health officials have announced 508 more cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths from the disease in their final update of the week.
The written briefing from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix indicates that there are now 4,479 active cases of the coronavirus in the province.
That total includes 315 people who are hospitalized, 74 of whom are in intensive care.
A further 6,719 people are being monitored by public health officials because of exposures to known cases of COVID-19.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 63,484 total cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and 1,128 deaths.
"We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic," Henry and Dix said in their statement.
A total of 56,455 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in B.C. are now considered recovered, and the province has administered 110,566 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, 2,202 of which have been second doses.
In addition to the latest figures, Henry and Dix reported two new coronavirus outbreaks in health-care facilities, one at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops and the other at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.
The pair also announced an outbreak at the North Fraser Pretrial Services Centre, the second outbreak in the correctional system to be announced this week, after one was declared at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre on Wednesday.
Friday's update came just a few hours after B.C. announced its province-wide COVID-19 immunization plan, which outlines who can get vaccinated and when, with the expectation that 4.3 million British Columbians will be immunized by the end of September.
“We need to remember our risk remains high right now, even as we protect more and more people with vaccine," Henry and Dix said. "We are not at the point where we can lift restrictions in our community or long-term care."
The health officials repeated their call to follow the recommendations put in place for avoiding coronavirus transmission, including staying home when feeling ill, getting tested, washing hands and maintaining physical distance.
They also reminded people to stay close to home and avoid non-essential travel.
"We have seen how travel even within our province can bring the virus from one place to another with ease," said Dix and Henry. "If we must travel, then we must, more than ever, continue to use our COVID-19 safety rules."
COVID-19 cases continue to be seen throughout the province. On Friday, 228 new cases were added in the Fraser Health region, 132 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 79 in Interior Health, 55 in Northern Health and 13 in Island Health.
One of the people identified as a confirmed case on Friday resides outside of Canada.