B.C. has reported its highest COVID-19 case count in several months today, with 800 new cases.

Those cases make today the largest one-day rise so far in 2021. There were also five new deaths reported today from the virus.

In Interior Health, there were 50 new cases today. Elsewhere, there were 381 new cases in Fraser Health, 264 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 58 cases in Northern Health and 45 in Island Health.

There are 306 people in hospital with the virus, and 79 in intensive care. Active cases are up to 5,856 across B.C.

Another 191 variant of concern cases have also been reported today, and there have now been 1,772 variant cases in B.C. with 215 still active.

Meantime, now 610,671 vaccines doses have been administered in B.C., with more than 523,000 residents having received a first dose. Health Minister Adrian Dix says that represents 12.7 per cent of all adults in the province getting a first dose.

Today’s case count comes as some restrictions have been eased for visitations to long-term care homes and assisted living homes, and as a “trial run” has been approved for indoor religious gatherings, which means places of worship can hold up to four services between March 28 and May 13 with a maximum of 50 people or 10 per cent of capacity, whichever is less.