The province confirmed 10 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in B.C. on Friday, June 26. It's the fifth straight day of double digit increases. (BC Government Flickr)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

STAY THE COURSE

Island COVID-19 cases remain flat as number of active cases plummet

Jun 26, 2020 | 2:58 PM

NANAIMO — Vancouver Island will head into the final weekend of June with just one active case of COVID-19.

A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and health minister Adrian Dix reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 across B.C. but none in the Island Health region.

The number of active cases also dropped from 179 reported on Thursday, June 25 to 159 considered active on Friday, June 26.

The province also confirmed one additional death from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, a person in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. To date, 174 people have lost their lives to COVID-19.

Earlier Friday, the First Nations Health Authority shared data on how Indigenous people were impacted by COVID-19.

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Through June 14, a total of 86 First Nations people were diagnosed with the virus with four people passing away.

“The low impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous peoples in B.C. that we have seen so far is a result of ongoing collaboration and an unwavering commitment by community and health leaders to put appropriate measures in place to protect communities,” the statement said.

The relatively low number of confirmed cases comes at the expense of important cultural gatherings, many of which were suspended to adhere to physical distancing guidelines.

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