The COVID-19 pandemic continues to exert a tremendous toll on British Columbia.

The Ministry of Health reported nine more deaths over the past 24, which brings the provincewide total to 2,529 since March 2020.

There have been 37 deaths from COVID-19 over the past 72 hours, which means more than one death every two hours.

Hospitalizations have reached a record 924 from the disease, with 130 in intensive care.

There have been five new health-facility outbreaks: Pinegrove Care Centre and Mariposa Gardens in Interior Health, and Echo Village, Mount St. Mary Hospital, and Arrowsmith Lodge in Island Health.

That brings the total of health-facility outbreaks to 62.