New record for COVID-19 cases in B.C.

B.C. has set another grim new record for COVID-19 cases.

The province reported 941 new cases Tuesday, raising the total to 28,348.

The previous daily record was 762 set last week.

Interior Health (IH) said its region has 49 new cases for a total of 1,356.

IH has 302 active cases with two people in hospital, none in intensive care.

There are 7,732 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, with 284 people in hospital and 61 in intensive care.

Currently, 10,283 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 19,605 people who tested positive have recovered.

Of the new cases, 174 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 678 in the Fraser Health region, 11 in the Island Health region, 49 in the Interior Health region, 29 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

There have been 10 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 358 deaths

There are two new health-care facility outbreaks at Valley Haven Care Home and Little Mountain Place. The outbreak at Fraserview Intermediate Care Lodge has been declared over. There have been no new community outbreaks.

In a statement, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said B.C needs to slow the spread of COVID-19, and that needs to happen now.

“That is why we have paused all gatherings, events and indoor group fitness activities. That is also why everyone, young and old, needs to pause their social interactions and increase their layers of protection and stay within their local communities as much as possible,” Dix and Henry stated.

Meantime, the province has extending the provincial state of emergency that began in March, allowing health and emergency management officials to continue to use extraordinary powers to support the pandemic response.

The state of emergency is extended through the end of the day on Dec. 8, 2020.