VICTORIA -- Health officials on Vancouver Island identified one new case of COVID-19 in the Island Health region Friday as August continues to see the highest number of new cases in the region since April.
There are now 14 active cases of the coronavirus in the Island Health region.
The new case added on Friday was identified in the southern Vancouver Island region, which has now recorded 66 cases of the virus since the pandemic began.
The southern region, which includes Greater Victoria, the Saanich Peninsula, Port Renfrew and the Southern Gulf Islands, has reported the highest number of cases out of Island Health's three regions.
Central Vancouver Island, which includes the communities of Tofino, Port Alberni, Nanaimo, Parksville, Lake Cowichan and Duncan, has recorded 46 cases of the virus.
The North Island region, stretching from Courtenay-Comox to Port Hardy, has recorded 62 two cases.
While nearly all of the new COVID-19 cases discovered in Island Health this month have been linked to community exposures or known case clusters, one case identified on Aug. 12 has been linked to international travel and another case is still under investigation, according to Island Health.
The health authority declined to provide any details Friday on the travel-related case.
The Island Health region, which includes Vancouver Island, the Southern Gulf Islands and parts of mainland B.C.'s central coast, has now recorded 30 cases of coronavirus in August. That's the highest monthly total since April, when 52 cases were identified in the region.
As of Friday, the South Island's most recent reported symptoms were detected seven days ago, while the Central Island's most recent symptoms were reported five days ago.
The North Island has not detected an onset of the virus for 10 days, according to Island Health data.
Five people have died of COVID-19 in the Island Health region, where a total of 174 cases have been reported and 155 people have recovered. No one in the region is currently in hospital with the virus.
Provincial health officials announced 124 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the largest single-day caseload since the pandemic began. There are now 974 active cases of the virus in B.C., another record high for the province.
