11 cases at Big White

Eleven more cases of COVID-19 have been identified at Big White.

The ski resort has now had 214 cases since a community cluster was declared. Fortyfive cases are still active.

Of the 11 new cases, seven reside and/or work at Big White.

Health authorities say skiing at Big White is safe if proper precautions are taken.

Seventy-nine new cases of COVID-19 were reported Friday in the region served by Interior Health.

They were among 508 cases confirmed across B.C., provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement.

That brings to 63,484 people in B.C. who have been infected by COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. Nine additional deaths were reported Friday, bringing the toll to 1,128.

There are just over 6,700 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. with 315 people being treated for the disease in hospital and the rest recovering at home in self-isolation.

About 110,000 British Columbians have received vaccinations but delays in shipments of the vaccine will present challenges in the weeks ahead, Henry and Dix said.

“We need to remember our risk remains high right now, even as we protect more people with vaccine," they said. “We are not at the point where we can lift restrictions in our community or long-term care.”

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.