Active cases of COVID-19 took a significant jump over the New Years long weekend.
As of Tuesday, the total stood at 737, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, well up from 422 as recently as last Thursday.
One more death was also reported raising the total to 276 for the region since the pandemic broke out in March 2020.
Hospitalizations stood at 18, up from the pre-Christmas level but still down from 38 recorded at the start of December. Five of those patients were in critical care, unchanged from just prior to Christmas.
Provincially, active cases stood at a record 27,106 as of Tuesday.
Hospitalizations totalled 298, far below the record 515 reached April 28. But the number has risen by 78 in the past four days, worrying health officials.
And 86 are in intensive care units, 13 more than the last data update on December 31.
Another four people died from COVID-19 in B.C. in the past four days, raising the province's pandemic death toll to 2,427.
