British Columbia records eighth death from COVID-19, cases climb to 271

British Columbia has recorded an eighth death from COVID-19 as the number of infections climbs to 271 cases.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the latest death is a man who was a resident of the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where six others have died.

The province also announced 40 new cases today.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the majority of cases are in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health regions.

She says precautions everyone must take to protect each other are ``not optional'' but that maintaining social distance must come with keeping a social connection to prevent isolation and that could happen online.

Henry says anxiety over the spread of the virus is increasing but that means it's all the more important for people to safely reach out to each other, including seniors.