B.C.'s daily COVID-19 record shattered by more than 1,400 cases in latest update

The record for most COVID-19 cases reported in a single day was shattered Thursday, when the province reported a number 1,439 cases higher than ever seen before in B.C.

The record for most COVID-19 cases reported in a single day was shattered Thursday, when the province reported a number 1,439 cases higher than ever seen before in B.C.

The latest data reported by the Health Ministry included 4,383 cases confirmed in the latest 24-hour period – significantly higher than the record-breaking 2,944 cases recorded the day before.

Also a record is the number of cases of the novel coronavirus considered active in B.C., at 17,357.

Of the latest cases, the majority (2,319) were in B.C.'s most populous health authority, Fraser. Another 977 were recorded in Vancouver Coastal Health, and 501 were detected in the Interior.

Island Health recorded 460 more cases, and 122 were confirmed by the Northern Health Authority. The remaining four cases were confirmed in people who reside outside of Canada, according to the ministry.

With the latest update, a total of 2,825 cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in B.C. All but 711 of those cases are in the Lower Mainland, in either the Vancouver Coastal or Fraser health authorities.

There are currently 211 COVID-19 patients in hospital who are considered contagious, 66 of whom are being treated in intensive care units.