VANCOUVER -- British Columbia has recorded another 110 cases of COVID-19, pushing the total number of infections identified in the province since the start of the pandemic past 10,000.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the sobering milestone Thursday, while acknowledging there have been additional cases that aren't part of the official tally.
"Today we've reached a threshold, which is one that makes us pause," she said. "We have 10,000 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the province, and we know that's an underrepresentation of the impact of this virus."
Henry noted that infections were more likely to go under the radar earlier on in the pandemic, when access to testing was limited.
The latest cases put B.C.'s coronavirus count at 10,066. Officials also announced one more death from the disease, leaving the province's death toll at 245.
Henry thanked British Columbians for their efforts to keep the virus in check, which recently helped the province flatten its epidemiological curve once again, and urged people to continue making smart choices for themselves and their families.
That means following the province's "safe six" guidelines for socializing, keeping physically distanced from people outside your bubble, wearing a mask when distancing isn't possible, and always staying home while sick.
"We know what we need to do," Henry said. "As we've seen before, (our curve) can change very quickly."
Of all the confirmed COVID-19 cases in B.C., 8,398 have recovered from the illness, leaving 1,394 active cases across the province. There are 76 patients in hospital, including 17 who are in critical care or intensive care units.
While British Columbians have seen their average number of daily cases decrease in recent weeks, the state of the pandemic in other parts of Canada has been worsening. Ontario has reported upwards of 500 cases per day since the start of October, and broke its single-day record Thursday with 797 infections.
Next door in Alberta, officials announced new "voluntary measures" to limit spread in the Edmonton area Thursday while setting their own new daily record of 364 cases.