Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 40 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C., bringing the total number of cases to 271.
There are now 22 cases on Vancouver Island, 152 cases in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, 81 in Fraser Health, 12 in Interior Health and four in Northern Health.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement in Vancouver on Thursday.
There has been one additional death at the Lynn Valley Care Centre, bringing the total in B.C. to eight.
Seventeen people are in hospital, up from 13 on Wednesday. None of those are on Vancouver Island. There are nine people in intensive care units.
Five people are considered recovered.
Henry addressed the measures in place in the province, including limits on the number of people at gatherings and social distancing, saying she was "very heartened" by what she was seeing.
"This is not optional," she said. "I want to be very clear that everybody needs to take these actions now, and that is what is going to protect us."
She is urging people to maintain social distancing to fight the novel coronavirus, but adds they can step outside for fresh air while maintaining their distance from others.
Health Minister Adrian Dix also announced that the province is waiving waiting periods for people who have applied for medical service plan insurance including those who are returning from infected areas in other countries.
British Columbia has declared both a provincial state of emergency and a public health emergency because of COVID-19.
- With a file from The Canadian Press
