VICTORIA -- B.C. health officials announced 132 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, capping off a week of surging cases of the virus in the province.
B.C. has now recorded 6,962 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
A total of 1,461 cases are currently active, marking the highest number of active cases in the province to date. Of those cases, 49 people are currently in hospital, including 10 people in intensive care.
The hospitalization rate for COVID-19 in B.C. has now reached levels not seen since the early days of the pandemic in May.
B.C. 's death toll from the virus remains at 213, with no new deaths announced Friday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced one new outbreak at a Surrey long-term care centre Friday, bringing the number of health-care outbreaks in the province to 17, including three in acute-care centres.
No new community outbreaks were reported Friday though community exposure events continue to be identified across the province.
"We have demonstrated kindness and compassion in the face of adversity and challenge, and this resilience will give us the strength for what lies ahead," Dix and Henry said in a joint statement. "Let’s continue to stand strong against our common foe that is COVID-19."
Most of B.C.’s COVID-19 cases have been identified in the Lower Mainland, with 3,600 confirmed in the Fraser Health region and 2,419 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.
Elsewhere in the province, 465 cases have been recorded in the Interior Health region and 204 have been confirmed in the Northern Health region.
The Island Health region has recorded 190 cases of COVID-19, an increase of three since Thursday.
Eighty-four people who live outside of Canada have tested positive for the virus in B.C.
