B.C. health officials are reporting 428 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths over the last 24 hours, taking the provincial case count to 54,629.

There were another 61 cases in Interior Health to go with one more death, taking the death toll in the health authority to 33 people.

“Today we lost another member of our community to COVID-19 and on behalf of everyone at Interior Health, I want to offer our sincere condolences to their loved ones and care givers,” said IHA President and CEO, Susan Brown.

“I encourage everyone to take the necessary steps to limit the spread of this virus and to stay committed in the fight against COVID-19.”

Active cases in Interior Health are at 769 with 35 people in hospital, seven in ICU. Across the province, active cases are at 6,472 with 367 people in hospital (up from 351 yesterday), 77 of whom are in intensive care. There were 5,915 tests done in the last 24 hours.

Fraser Health led the way with 223 cases, followed by Vancouver Coastal with 90, Northern Health with 45, and nine on Vancouver Island.

Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry says there are now 28,209 people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“While the focus is on first-priority populations in the next three months, as new vaccines are approved and additional supply becomes available, we will incorporate the additional doses into our distribution to enable as many people as possible to be immunized as soon as they can,” she said.

In the Interior, a public alert has been issued for the Revelstoke area because of a increase in cases. The cluster at Big White Ski Resort meanwhile increased by 25 cases.

“We were able to slow the increase of new cases in mid-December and we want to continue that trend, but the number of new cases and deaths across the province remains high,” Henry said. “The more people we see, the higher our risks are, which is why keeping our groups small and using our layers of protection is so important right now.”

There are now 45,999 people who are considered to have recovered from COVID-19, about 84 per cent of the total.

Provincial State of Emergency Extended

Earlier in the day, the province also extended the COVID-19 state of emergency to the end of day on Jan. 19, after it was first declared on March 18, 2020.

“There’s hope on the horizon for the new year with vaccines beginning, but I want to caution everyone to keep following public health orders,” said Premier John Horgan. “British Columbians have been working hard to flatten the curve, and to do that, we can’t let up too soon. We need everyone to hang in there and continue to do what they need to do to keep case numbers low.”

The province says between Aug. 21, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2021 there were 574 COVID-19 violation tickets issued. Of that, 103 were $2,300 tickets to owners or organizers of gatherings and events. Another 21 were $2,300 tickets for violations of the Food and Liquor Serving Premises Order and the other 450 were $230 tickets given to people who refused to comply with direction from law enforcement.

A further 77 tickets were given to people who violated the Federal Quarantine Act, totalling $84,266.25.

“Most British Columbians are following public health orders, and that’s what will help us get case numbers back down,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “Having said that, we’re continuing to use enforcement and fines for those who insist on putting lives at risk by ignoring orders. We continue to strengthen the tools officials need to keep people safe, and we won’t hesitate to use them.”