A fifth person in the Northern Health region has died of COVID-19, Health Minister Adrian Dix said on Monday.
The northern B.C. resident was one of nine British Columbians who lost their life to the disease since the last public update on Friday, Dix said. Six of the fatalities were in the Fraser Health region, and two in Vancouver Coastal Health.
"I want to pass on my condolences to the families... and to all the caregivers," Dix said. "Two-hundred-and-ninety-nine people have died (of COVID-19)... and we grieve every single one of them."
The fourth COVID-19 related death in the north was reported on Friday.
The majority of those who lost their lives were older people, living in long-term care or assisted living facilities, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
"We are always struck by the tragedy of dealing with loss at this time," Henry said.
The news of the deaths came on the same day that Canada surpassed 300,000 cases of COVID-19 – with cases in B.C. and other parts of Canada surging. British Columbia recorded three consecutive days with more than 640 new cases of COVID-19, Henry said.
The province had 1,959 new cases since Friday – including 14 new cases in the Northern Health region – Henry said, brining the province's total since the start of the pandemic to 22,944.
The total number of cases in the Northern Health region grew to 518.
Throughout B.C., there were 6,237 active cases of COVID-19, with 181 people hospitalized with the disease – including 57 in intensive care, Henry said.
The number of active cases in the north wasn't provided, but on Monday the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 61 active cases. Nine people were hospitalized in the Northern Health region, with all nine in intensive care.
Public health officials were monitoring nearly 11,000 people who were potentially exposed to the disease, Henry added.
"We are in the most challenging of times," Henry said. "It is the small, yet essential, efforts that each of us makes that will make the difference. We need to bend our curve back down."
Henry said her office is looking at additional public health measures which could help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Those measures could be announced as soon as Thursday.
"I strongly encourage people to limit their travel. We need to stay local, stay in our communities now," Henry said. "We need to shrink back to our pandemic bubble. If it is not necessary to visit (with people) don't do it right now."
