Another 217 cases of COVID-19 were reported across British Columbia today, taking the total across the province to 13,588 cases.

There were 24 cases reported across Interior Health, which has now had 717 cases of the virus, with 92 active cases and one person in hospital. Provincewide, there are 84 people in hospital with 27 people in ICU.

Of today’s case load, 145 cases were in Fraser Health, and the other 48 were in Vancouver Coastal Health, with no new cases on Vancouver Island or in Northern B.C..

Active cases are at 2,322 down three from the record set yesterday, with another 5,101 people being actively monitored after being exposed to a case of COVID-19 – a new record.

There were no new deaths reported on Tuesday, although Canada did surpass the 10,000 death milestone today, with B.C. having reported 259 of those deaths.

“Always using our layers of protection reduces the potential for the virus to spread and is an important part of our COVID-19 response in B.C.,” said a statement from Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. “A mask is especially helpful in public indoor spaces where you don’t know the people around you and the risks they may have.”

“The expectation is that masks will be worn within public areas of health-care facilities, shopping malls, grocery stores, community centres and other public spaces. Public indoor spaces are quite different from our schools, offices and businesses that have established learning groups and work cohorts, supported by comprehensive COVID-19 safety plans.”

Over the last 24 hours, there were 5,157 tests conducted over the last 24 hours, leading to a 4.2 per cent test positive rate.

There are now 10,954 people who are considered to have recovered from COVID-19.