Health officials report 63 cases of COVID-19 in B.C. over the weekend and one new death.

That includes 26 new cases confirmed pn Sunday and 37 today, bringing the case count province-wide to 1,266. Across the Interior Health Authority there are 128 cases, a number unchanged since Saturday’s update.

“We must be steadfast in our commitment to holding the line right now in B.C.,” said Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.

“We continue to see clusters and outbreaks in our communities and at facilities, and these hotspots are very concerning. They can quickly escalate and challenge our ability to keep things under control.”

Henry says the latest death is a man in his 40s in the Fraser Health area – the youngest person to die of COVID-19 in B.C. It is the 39th death from COVID-19 in the province.

While the numbers look positive, Henry says there continues to be clusters and outbreaks in B.C. communities, which remains a concern.

“Our percentage of new cases has been slowing. It’s been bending, and that’s really important and it’s a testament of the effort that everybody here in British Columbia has been making over these past few weeks,” she said. “But we must keep that firewall strong.”

There are 140 people in hospital, province-wide with COVID-19, down from 149 on Saturday. Seventy-two of those people are in critical care, up from 68 on Saturday. Across the Interior, there are 13 people are in hospital with COVID-19.

Speaking on Monday, Henry says the new few weeks are critical, and she’s urging people to keep up with things like physical distancing and frequent hand washing.

“I want to really encourage us all to continue to be kind. To be kind to those who have to continue to work, whether its in the grocery store, whether its healthcare workers or people working in pharmacies,” she said.

“I know sometimes its challenging when we’ve been going through this whole isolation and not having the usual contact and the usual things that we need to do.”