COVID death reported in Vernon

A person at Heritage Square seniors home in Vernon has died from COVID-19, Interior Health says.

Seventy-one new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed between Tuesday and Wednesday in the Interior Health region.

That makes for a total of 4,310 people in the IH region who have tested positive for the disease since the onset of the pandemic.

The vast majority have recovered, but there have been 34 deaths, and there are currently 785 active cases, with 33 people in hospital and the rest in self-isolation at home.

Outbreaks continue at five Kelowna-area care homes.

Province-wide, 635 new cases of COVID-19 were announced by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. That’s up from a daily average of about 550 cases recently, but still below the 800plus average seen in late November and early December.