ADRIAN Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer, on Friday announced 124 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) , including one epi-linked case since we reported on Thursday, for a total of 5,496 cases in British Columbia.

Fortunately, there was no new COVID-19-related deaths, and the total number of deaths stands at 204 in the province.

There are 974 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 2,796 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases, and 4,310 people who tested positive have recovered.

Currently, 23 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, seven of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,791 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 2,878 in the Fraser Health region, 174 in the Island Health region, 433 in the Interior Health region, 142 in the Northern Health region and 78 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. In total, nine long-term care or assisted-living facilities and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks.

There have been no new community outbreaks, although there continue to be community exposure events. The community outbreak in Haida Gwaii has now been declared over, with no new cases identified for two incubation periods.

Alerts are posted on the BC Centre for Disease Control’s (BCCDC) website, as well as on health authorities’ websites, providing details on where the potential exposure occurred and what actions to take – whether you need to self-isolate or monitor for symptoms.

Dix and Henry added: “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. 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.

“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.

“The efforts we make today make the difference for all of us tomorrow, so let’s renew our commitment to doing what we can to keep our province and ourselves safe.”