The number of British Columbians suffering in hospital with COVID-19 rose by five to an 18-week high of 63 on September 15, with 20 of those people in intensive care units.
The vast majority of the 1,590 people who have active infections of the novel coronavirus are self-isolating at home, while 5,548 of the 7,376 people who have caught the virus in the province this year have recovered.
Some good news is that there were no new deaths related to the virus, meaning that the province's death toll from COVID-19 stays at 219.
Data is not available on whether 19 people who were infected in B.C. recovered or died with one likely explanation being that they left the province and did not keep B.C. health officials up to date on their status.
The BC Centre for Disease Control identified 97 new cases in the province in the past 24 hours.
The total number of COVID-19 infections in the province by health region are:
• 2,608 in Vancouver Coastal Health (up 51);
• 3,784 in Fraser Health (up 30);
• 195 in Island Health (no change);
• 479 in Interior Health (up six);
• 225 in Northern Health (up nine); and
• 85 people who reside outside Canada (up one).
B.C.'s provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement that 3,001 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases.
"There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at OPAL by Element in the Vancouver Coastal Health region," the two said.
"In total, 11 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and three acute-care facilities have active outbreaks. There have been no new community outbreaks, although there continue to be community exposure events."
The 11 assisted living, long-term care homes and seniors' rental buildings with ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks are:
• OPAL by Element assisted living facility in Vancouver;
• Point Grey Private Hospital long-term care facility in Vancouver;
• Royal Arch Masonic Home long-term care facility in Vancouver (second outbreak);
• Bear Creek Villa independent living facility in Surrey;
• Cherington Place long-term care facility in Surrey;
• Evergreen Hamlets long-term care facility in Surrey;
• KinVillage assisted living facility in Tsawwassen;
• Milieu Children and Family Services Society community-living facility in Courtenay;
• New Vista Care Home long-term care facility in Burnaby;
• Normanna long-term care facility in Burnaby; and
• Rideau Retirement Centre independent living facility in Burnaby.
