Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry highlighted the death of an 80-year-old woman who attended a birthday party in the Fraser Health region during her live news conference Thursday, as she announced 234 more cases of COVID-19 in B.C.

"Many of the new cases are directly linked to gatherings, she said. This has been the case in the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley."

Henry said the woman who died had attended a small birthday party, where a majority of those present later tested positive for the virus.

This shows the virus can be transmitted unwittingly and that even small gatherings can be dangerous, Henry said from Surrey, part of the Fraser Health region where cases are surging more than anywhere else in the province.

There are now 2,344 active COVID-19 cases in B.C. with 86 people in hospital, 24 of whom are in intensive care. 

Public health is actively monitoring 5,714 people across the province who are in self-isolation due to COVID-19 exposure. 

There have been 14,109 cases of COVID-19 in B.C. since the pandemic began.

More than half of the identified COVID-19 cases in B.C. are in the Fraser Health region, despite the area only accounting for 39 per cent of the population.

Earlier this week, B.C. introduced new restrictions on private gatherings in homes in an effort to curb transmission after a record 817 new cases were announced over the weekend.

The new provincial health order from Henry restricts get-togethers in private homes to no more than immediate household members and an additional "safe six."