B.C. records 485 new COVID-19 cases on first anniversary of virus arriving in B.C.

It was a year ago today, on Jan. 27, 2020, that B.C. recorded its first case of COVID-19, a man who had returned from Wuhan province in China.

Now, with 485 new cases in the past 24 hours, 65,719 B.C. residents have been infected by the virus.

“As we have seen over the past year, one case can turn into thousands,” reads a joint statement issued today, Jan. 27, by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Even with vaccines being rolled out in the province, people are encouraged to continue their COVID-19 precautions.

“We continue to see new community clusters around the province – in the Fernie and Williams Lake regions, and elsewhere,” the statement reads. “These hot spots show, once again, how easily the virus spreads between us.”

READ MORE: COVID-19: A timeline of the pandemic and how it changed our lives over the past year

Four deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours bringing the death toll for the province to 1,172.

Of the new cases, 210 were in the Fraser Health region, 115 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 83 in the Interior Health region, 45 in the Vancouver Island Health region and 32 in the Northern Health region.

There are 4,299 active cases in B.C. with 303 people in hospital, 74 of who are in intensive care.

The province has administered 124,365 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, 4,160 of which are second doses.

“When we are tired, it is easy to let things slip and let our guard down,” the statement reads. “Yet this only gives the virus a chance to spread a bit more. In these days – when COVID-19 vaccinations are starting, but for most of us are still weeks or months away – the actions we take may seem small, but will have a big impact to stop the virus in its tracks.”

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