VICTORIA -- British Columbia health officials have diagnosed 25 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the province's total COVID-19 cases to 1,724.
One more person has died of the virus since Monday, bringing the province's death toll to 87 people. The victim was a senior in a Vancouver-area care home.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the province's latest COVID-19 tally in Victoria on Tuesday, the fourth straight day that B.C. recorded fewer than 30 new cases of the virus in a 24-hour period.
B.C. hasn't recorded more than 50 new cases of the virus in a single day since April 3, when 53 cases were discovered.
One area that remains of particular concern for health officials is an outbreak at the Mission Institution prison in the Fraser Valley. Henry said there are now 76 cases of COVID-19 at the prison – 65 cases among inmates and 11 among staff.
A poultry processing facility in Vancouver was the site of the latest major outbreak in the province, announced Tuesday.
Approximately 28 employees of the United Poultry facility tested positive for the novel coronavirus when inspectors visited the plant Monday. Henry said some of those new cases were included in Monday's announcement of 23 new cases and the rest were announecd Tuesday.
Henry advised residents to wash their hands when preparing food and to cook meats thoroughly, although she said there is no indication that COVID-19 can be spread through meat products or its packaging.
The provincial health officer said officials are also closely watching workers who have recently returned to the province from the Kearl Lake oilsands facility near Fort McMurray, Alta.
On Monday, Henry said there were seven newly discovered cases in B.C. that originated at the oilsands site.
"I want to reiterate the importance of anybody who has worked at Kearl Lake since the end of March, we are asking you – requiring you – to self-isolate on your return," Henry said.
To date, there have been 707 COVID-19 cases in the Vancouver Coastal Health area, 715 cases in the Fraser Health area, and 153 cases in the B.C. Interior.
Elsewhere in the province, the Vancouver Island region has 109 confirmed cases, up from 102 cases on Monday. There are 40 confirmed cases of the virus in the province's Northern Health region.
Throughout the province, 109 people remain in hospital with the virus, 51 of them in critical care.
A total of 1,041 people are considered fully recovered from the virus.