VICTORIA -- Two more cases of COVID-19 have been detected on Vancouver Island, bringing the region's total to eight active cases, health officials announced Wednesday.
Both new cases are in the South Island region, where infections have climbed to 57 cases since the pandemic began.
The revelation comes as British Columbia records its highest active caseload of the pandemic with 798 active cases Wednesday, eclipsing the 775 cases that were active in the province just one day prior.
Southern Vancouver Island, which includes Greater Victoria, Port Renfrew and the Southern Gulf Islands, is catching up with the North Island region, where 60 cases have been recorded since the start of the pandemic.
However, the North Island, which includes the area stretching from Courtenay-Comox to Port Hardy, has not recorded an onset of symptoms in a lab-diagnosed patient in 14 days, according to Island Health data released Wednesday.
Before today, the South Island's last symptom onset was recorded four days ago, according to Island Health.
The Central Vancouver Island region, which includes the communities of Tofino, Port Alberni, Nanaimo, Parksville, Lake Cowichan and Duncan, has recorded 41 cases of the virus, with the last symptom onset in a lab-diagnosed patient reported five days ago.
Amid the surge in new cases, health authorities on Vancouver Island say they are being inundated with requests for COVID-19 tests.
Island Health says it is currently working to recruit more staff to meet the demand for coronavirus testing.
There have been no new COVID-19 deaths in the province over the last 24 hours, leaving the provincial death toll at 198.
