VICTORIA -- Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced 45 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, bringing the provincial total to 1,490.

B.C. also saw 11 new deaths related to the novel coronavirus over the past 48 hours, bringing the provincial total to 69.

The new totals come two days after the most recent update, which took place on Saturday.

Out of the nearly 1,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 137 people required hospitalization. Of those patients, 58 are receiving critical care.

Dix said the majority of all COVID-19 cases recorded in B.C. have now recovered from the illness.

Meanwhile, Dr. Henry said that the province was continuing to source and acquire personal protective equipment for health-care workers.

She thanked everyone who has been supplying or donating the gear, which is under testing for medical use. Dix thanked Alberta in particular for sending B.C. 250,000 N95 respirators.

With the Easter long weekend coming to a close, Dr. Henry said that she appreciated British Columbians’ efforts to minimize travel during the pandemic.

While many coastal residents have called for added restrictions for travellers on BC Ferries, Henry said that the ferry service needed to continue operating to assist with essential services and travel.

Dix said that BC Ferries saw a dramatic reduction in ferry use over the long weekend. In 2019, BC ferries recorded 173,284 passengers between Thursday to Sunday on its major routes. This year, only 14,633 passengers travelled on the same routes over the same long weekend period.

The majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to be located in B.C.’s lower mainland. In total, 650 people in the Vancouver Coastal Health region are confirmed to have the novel coronavirus and 591 cases have been recorded in the Fraser Health region.

Meanwhile, the Interior Health region has 136 confirmed cases of COVID-19 while Island Health has a total of 87.

Elsewhere, the Northern Health region has a total of 26 confirmed cases.

Monday’s health briefing marked B.C.’s 50th live update from Henry and Dix since COVID-19 first began appearing in the province.

Dr. Henry said that she was committed to providing daily health updates for as long as they were needed.