The COVID-19 pandemic claimed 18 lives in B.C. since Thursday's update, including five in the Northern Health region.
The province's death toll from the pandemic rose to 988 on Friday, including 37 residents of the Northern Health region, according to data reported by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
"We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a written statement on Friday.
There were 49 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the north, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 2,387. The number of active cases in the Northern Health region remained at 438.
A total of 42 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Northern Health region, including 20 in intensive care.
"Today, we are reporting 617 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 56,632 cases in British Columbia," Henry and Dix said. "There are 6,118 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 358 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 75 of whom are in intensive care."
Public health officials were monitoring 8,755 people for possible exposure to COVID.
COVID outbreaks at the Rotary Manor long-term care home in Dawson Creek and North Peace Seniors Housing Society apartments in Fort St. John were officially declared over, Henry and Dix said. However the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Jubilee Lodge in Prince George continues.
That outbreak had claimed 12 lives as of a provincial report issued on Thursday.
"Long-term care outbreaks have been at the forefront of our minds and our hearts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each day, more of our seniors and Elders who live in these homes, as well as the people who care for them, are protected with the vaccine," Henry and Dix said. "To date, 46,259 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in British Columbia. Our focus is to ensure we safely deliver the vaccines as quickly as possible to communities across the province, using all available supply."
On Friday, Northern Health reported that the all COVID-19 cases associated with outbreaks at Coastal GasLink's 7 Mile Lodge and Little Rock Lake Lodge had recovered and completed their self isolation.
A total of 56 lab-confirmed cases were linked to those outbreaks.
The first week of school after the winter break didn't result in any reported COVID-19 exposures in Prince George. However, Northern Health reported exposure events at two schools in Fort St. John.
Henry and Dix urged British Columbians to continue following the public health orders restricting public events, private gatherings in homes, adult team sports and some other activities, including non-essential travel. On Thursday Henry extended those orders until Feb. 5 at midnight.
"As new COVID-19 cases continue to emerge in communities throughout the province, we must all recommit to our efforts to slow down transmission," Henry and Dix said. "We can only do this through our collective commitment to stay local, only spend time with our immediate household outside of work or school, to respect one another by giving others the space to stay safe and ensuring we are wearing our masks in all indoor, public spaces.
Most British Columbians have been doing their part, and we know it is frustrating when a few people put so many others at risk. Despite this, it is important to know your sustained efforts are saving lives. It will get us that much closer to the days without COVID-19."
