British Columbia’s death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 1,000, marking the latest grim milestone for a pandemic that continues to rage across the province.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced on Monday that 22 more people had died from the disease since Friday, bringing the total since March to 1,010.
“These of course are our grandparents, our friends, our aunts, our uncles, our sons and daughters,” Henry said. “We know that this has been a challenging time.”
The weekend also saw 1,475 new cases confirmed in B.C. — 538 on Saturday, 507 on Sunday and another 430 on Monday. Nine of those cases are epidemiologically linked, meaning they have not been confirmed by laboratory testing.
The number of active cases fell by nearly 1,000 to 5,220, Henry said. Of those, 358 were in hospital, a number unchanged from Friday. Three patients were able to leave intensive care during the weekend, bringing that number down to 72.
About 87 per cent of the province’s 58,107 total cases have recovered since the pandemic began.
Six new outbreaks were declared at long-term care and group homes, while another four were declared over — including at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital.
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Henry on Thursday extended the province’s restrictions on social gatherings to Feb. 5, saying the curve of the outbreak is trending up again.
She warned that further restrictions could be imposed if case numbers continue to grow.
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