B.C. health officials have provided another snapshot of how COVID-19 is spreading in the province, confirming 465 additional infections and six deaths from the disease Thursday.
The update came in a written statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, who offered their condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one during the pandemic.
Thursday's update brings B.C. to a total of 69,245 infections and 1,240 deaths from the coronavirus, overall.
Currently, there are 4,447 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. Of that total, 257 people are in hospital, and 76 of those are in intensive care units.
B.C. has administered a total of 145,567 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and 62,078 people who tested positive for the disease have recovered.
Henry and Dix are expected to return for a live briefing on Friday, when they'll give an update on public health orders, modelling and case counts.
In Thursday's written update, the pair announced a new COVID-19 outbreak at Mountain View Manor, a long-term care facility in Delta.
They also announced the end of the outbreak at Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo.
With 6,943 people still being monitored by health officials because of exposures to known cases of COVID-19, Dix and Henry asked the public to continue working to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the challenges we face have evolved," the pair said in their statement. "What has not changed are the benefits of our collective efforts. Each of us doing our part makes a difference to our shared well-being. One person or one layer provides some protection. Yet all of us working together using all of our layers of protection is far better."
They asked B.C. residents to avoid turning Super Bowl Sunday into a "superspreading day."
“Here in B.C., our curve is slowly moving downward," Henry and Dix said. "With each day we keep our wall strong and show compassion and kindness to those around us, we can keep the trend going.”
with files from CTV