VANCOUVER -- Health officials in British Columbia have announced 161 additional cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths in their final pandemic update of the week.
Since the pandemic began, there have now been 9,381 cases recorded in B.C. and 238 deaths.
"We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic," said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and deputy health minister Stephen Brown in a written statement announcing the numbers Friday.
There are now 1,302 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, a number that has stayed fairly stable throughout the week, after ballooning significantly in August and most of September.
Sixty-three people are in hospital with the coronavirus, including 16 people who are in intensive care.
In addition to the day's numbers, Henry and Brown announced a new outbreak at Surrey Memorial Hospital, just days after the last one there was declared over. Earlier in the day, Fraser Health said "evidence of transmission" had been discovered in the hospital's medicine unit, where both a patient and a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19.
Outbreaks at Yaletown House long-term care home and Peach Arch Hospital have been declared over, leaving the province with 17 active outbreaks in its health-care system, including 14 in long-term care or assisted living facilities and three in acute care.
Friday's total for new cases was nearly double the number reported on Thursday, when B.C. added 82 to its total after conducting what Henry called a "record number" of tests.
In their statement Friday, the health officials stressed that the coronavirus continues to circulate throughout the province, noting that 3,114 people are currently being monitored because of exposures to known cases of COVID-19.
“For many months now, COVID-19 has been a part of our communities," Henry and Brown said. "As a result, we have had to adapt and learn new ways to protect ourselves and each other. Despite the uncertainty and stress that has come with this, there is much that is in our control. Take confidence in knowing that always using our layers of protection reduces our risks, helps to break the chains of transmission and keeps the virus under control."
The vast majority of B.C.'s confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the Lower Mainland, with 4,791 recorded in the Fraser Health region and 3,440 in Vancouver Coastal Health.
Elsewhere in the province, there have been 535 cases in Interior Health, 318 in Northern Health and 209 in Island Health. There have also been 88 cases recorded in B.C. involving people who reside outside Canada.
A total of 7,813 people who have had the coronavirus in B.C. are now considered recovered.
