VANCOUVER -- B.C. health officials have announced 124 more cases of COVID-19 Friday, setting a new daily case record.
There are now 974 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Twenty-three patients are currently in hospital, and of those, seven are in intensive care. The other patients are self-isolating at home.
No new deaths were recorded, leaving B.C.'s death toll from the coronavirus at 204.
The total number of confirmed cases in the province is now up to 5,496. Friday's case total included one epi-linked case.
The number of patients considered recovered from the coronavirus is now 4,310.
There are 2,796 people under active monitoring from public health after being exposed to known cases of COVID-19.
No new health-care or or community outbreaks were detected, and an outbreak on Haida Gwaii has now been declared over.
The last update of the week came in the form of a written statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.
"COVID-19 requires new ways of living our lives with new precautions and routines for ourselves and our families, whether at home, work, school or when spending time with others," Dix and Henry said in the statement.
"This includes keeping our numbers of contacts low, especially at indoor parties and events, whether in a hall or in our own home. We have seen transmission from even small events, and the last thing we want to do is pass COVID-19 to those we are closest to.
While B.C.'s active caseload increased from about 300 at the beginning of August to 900 within a matter of weeks, it has remained relatively stable for the last few days. But the active caseload jumped considerably from Thursday to Friday, rising by 68 cases.
“This weekend, let’s remember to use the layers of protection that keep ourselves and those around us safe. This is also a good time to think about the new routines that will be part of our activities into the fall," Dix and Henry said.
While health officials identified 188 infections from Tuesday to Thursday, they also said 185 people recovered from COVID-19 over the same period.
On Thursday, Henry and Dix shared more geographically specific data on COVID-19 in B.C., revealing which cities have experienced the most cases.
They also confirmed for the first time that the province has recorded eight suspected cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C, a serious condition that's been linked to COVID-19.
All of the children impacted have fully recovered, Henry said.
