Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reported 2 additional COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, for a provincial total of 50.

Additionally, she reported 34 new cases have developed, for 1,370 cases B.C.-wide.

The Breakdown is as follows:

626 in Vancouver Coastal Health (an increase 11)
508 in Fraser Health (an increase of 11)
82 in Island Health (an increase of 1)
130 in Interior Health (no change)
24 in Northern Health (an increase of 1)

858 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, meaning that 62% of confirmed cases have now recovered fully.

Minister of Health Adrian Dix said that 5 of the hospitalized individuals are in Northern Health.

“We are going to have a bumpy ride for a while,” Henry stated.

“This is a very difficult time to express grief,” Dix explained while expressing condolences to family and friends of the 50 dead.

Both Dix and Henry strongly discouraged travel during the weekend.

In a joint statement the pair said: “This is a challenging time for all of us – physically, emotionally and mentally – especially when our meaningful connections are virtual connections.”

“Residents at long-term care and assisted-living homes are very vulnerable to COVID-19. One of the most important things we can do to protect them, and those caring for them, is to make it possible for workers to provide services at a single facility, reducing the risk of virus transmission between facilities,” they added.