Three new COVID-19 cases in the Interior Health Authority reported by BC Health officials, for a provincial total of 13 today.

Across Interior Health, there are now 212 cases, while B.C.’s total is up to 3,128, including 52 people who are from outside Canada.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says the increase in cases in recent weeks is a sign that people are going out and transmitting the virus more as the province navigates Phase 3 of its restart plan.

“This is not unexpected but we are also monitoring closely,” Henry said. “Public Health teams are actively working to manage every single case and make sure we find all of those close contacts.”

There are now 17 confirmed cases linked to a community outbreak in Kelowna. Henry says IHA officials are working to contact trace in an effort to potentially identify more cases.

“It was a group of people who knew each other who met up in Kelowna, some of whom were from Interior Health, some were from Alberta I understand, and some were from the Lower Mainland, and it was introduced in that group,” Henry said, when asked for more specifics.

She says the province is at the end of the first incubation period since it moved to Phase 3 just before Canada Day. There are now 209 active cases with 14 people in hospital, five in critical care.

And there were no new deaths to report today, with the provincial death toll staying put at 189.

“There may be other people out there right now who were at parties on Canada Day who had been in contact with somebody who had this disease over the last couple of weeks,” Henry noted. “And you may have mild symptoms. If you have any concerns at all, you can be tested anywhere in B.C. and that is important right now.”