B.C. sets new daily COVID-19 case record

British Columbia is reporting 1,293 new COVID-19 cases, smashing previous daily records of infection.

The new cases are part of a surging third wave and bring the total cases recorded in the province to 108,278 since the pandemic began.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says two more people have died and the death toll is now 1,493.

There are 9,184 active cases, including 336 people in hospital, 101 of whom are in critical care.

The vaccine rollout has seen 995,001 doses delivered across British Columbia and people 65 and over are now eligible to get an appointment for their shot.

Henry says the province is shifting its screening strategy for variants of concern, but the methods for preventing transmission, such as handwashing and physical distancing, remain the same.

Join Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC's provincial health officer, for an update on COVID-19.#CovidBC https://t.co/2mzTDLCGMH

— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) April 8, 2021

She also issued a new order allowing WorkSafeBC to issue temporary closure notices to workplaces where three or more workers are sick and transmission has been proven to have occurred in the work site.