21 more cases of COVID-19 reported in B.C.

VICTORIA -- Another 21 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in British Columbia, health officials announced Wednesday.

The total includes 19 new positive tests for the coronavirus and two additional epidemiologically linked cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in B.C. since the pandemic began to 3,149.

There have been no additional deaths from the virus over the last 24 hours, leaving the provincial death toll at 189.

There have now been 2,753 recoveries from the virus in B.C., leaving the province with 207 active cases. Of those, 14 people are hospitalized and five are in intensive care.

Wednesday's update from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix came in the form of a news release. It comes after a surge in new positive tests reported over the weekend, many of them related to private parties in the province's Interior.

The 21 additional cases announced make Wednesday the sixth day out of the last seven in which the provincial case count grew by at least 20. Tuesday, when 13 new cases were reported, was the only day in the last week not to cross that threshold.

Dix and Henry addressed these increases in their joint statement Wednesday.

“We are concerned about the increase in new cases in recent days as COVID-19 continues to silently circulate in our communities," the pair said. "As we spend more time with others, we need to find our balance with COVID-19. We need to minimize the number of cases, manage new cases as they emerge and modify our activities accordingly."

The officials noted that many of B.C.'s early cases of the coronavirus were found in long-term care and assisted-living facilities, the recent growth in the provincial caseload has happened mostly in the broader community.

There continue to be three ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in health-care facilities, including two in seniors' care homes and one in an acute care unit. There is also one ongoing "community outbreak," according to Dix and Henry.

Most cases of COVID-19 in B.C. have been located in the Lower Mainland, with 1,659 in the Fraser Health region and 1,023 in the Vancouver Coastal Health Region.

Elsewhere in the province, there have been 216 cases in Interior Health, 135 in Island Health and 65 in Northern Health.

An additional 51 cases of COVID-19 reported in B.C. have been found in people who reside outside Canada, according to Wednesday's update.

Henry and Dix will deliver their next live briefing on Thursday.