It was another record number of COVID-19 cases reported across B.C. with 1,959 new cases over three days along with nine new deaths.

There were 654 cases from Friday into Saturday, 659 cases were reported from Saturday to Sunday (a new 24 hour record), and another 646 from Sunday to Monday. All three daily totals topped the previous daily high of 617 cases which was reported on Friday.

Eighty-seven of the new cases were across the Interior Health Authority which has now reported 1,088 cases, of which 204 are active with two people in hospital, one in ICU.

As it has been for several weeks, the vast majority of cases was in the Lower Mainland (1,361 in Fraser Health and 455 in Vancouver Coastal Health) with another 41 cases on Vancouver Island, 14 in Northern Health and one more in someone who lives outside of Canada.

“This is a challenging time. Getting through the surge of new cases and through this pandemic requires all of us to go back to thinking about the important things we need to do to support each other,” Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry said, while noting that people in B.C. continue to show “unwavering resilience and adaptability.”

The number of people in hospital increased by 14 to 181, a new record high, with 57 people in intensive care, an increase of seven since Friday.

Active cases are up to a new record of 6,279, with another 10,928 people in self-isolation because of an exposure to someone with a case of the virus. The nine deaths meanwhile takes the death toll from COVID-19 to 299 people.

Henry is recommending that B.C. residents limit non essential travel anywhere inside or outside the province as the number of cases continues to increase.

“We need to go back to how were thinking earlier on in this pandemic when the virus was in our community,” she said. “We know a lot more now and we know that the virus comes with us. And when we travel, we bring that risk with us and we take home the risk from where we’ve been.”

“Now is not the time to travel for recreation or non essential purposes. Whether its from the Lower Mainland to the Island or between the Interior and the North or whether its to and from other provinces in Canada, we need to stay local. Stay in our communities now.”

Health officials also reported 11 new healthcare outbreaks including one at The Hamlets in Westsyde, which was declared yesterday after a staff member tested positive. The BC CDC also reported that someone onboard a Nov. 7 WestJet flight from Calgary to Kamloops had a confirmed case of COVID-19.

There was also an exposure event reported at NorKam Secondary, the first such event in a school in the Kamloops-Thompson School District, which the BC Teachers Federation says was only a matter of time.

In a statement, Interior Health says there are now 11 cases linked to the outbreak at the Royal Inland Hospital Patient Care Tower project.

There have now been 22,944 cases of the virus in B.C., and the number of people considered to have recovered is now 16,087 – about 70 per cent of the total.

– With files from Colton Davies