13 children, teens hospitalized with COVID-19 this week, B.C. officials say
B.C. health officials have provided new details on the recent uptick in children and teenagers being hospitalized with COVID-19, including that none of the patients have required critical care.
Dr. Bonnie Henry shared the latest hospitalization data during a modelling presentation Friday, revealing 13 patients under the age of 18 were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 from Jan. 6 to 12.
Nine of those were children under the age of five, who are currently ineligible for vaccination. There were also two hospitalizations in the five to 11 age group, and two in the 12 to 17 age group.
Henry noted that officials in B.C. and other jurisdictions are "seeing a different pattern" of illness among young people who catch Omicron, which is now the dominant variant in Canada.
"It behaves more like some of the other respiratory viruses in triggering things like asthma and airway disease and bronchiolitis in young children," she said. "That's most commonly the reason they're in hospital after infection with COVID."
While there were no children admitted to critical care over the last week, and there have been no coronavirus deaths involving B.C. children since April, officials have cautioned that young people can still get seriously ill, and transmit the virus to others.
There were 2,782 cases involving people under the age of 18 from Jan. 6 to 12, including 1,026 involving children under the age of five.
Henry encouraged parents to get their kids vaccinated when eligible, noting that COVID-19 case rates are higher for people who are unvaccinated, whether they are adults or children. The province's data also shows vaccination significantly decreases the likelihood of hospitalization among young people.
"We've only had one case of a child hospitalized who's been vaccinated," Henry said. That child's stay in hospital was short, according to officials.
Since the start of the pandemic, 32 children and teenagers have been admitted to intensive care, including 14 under the age of five.
Officials also stressed the importance of parents and others who spend time around young children getting vaccinated, calling it "the best we can do to protect them from transmission."
The province's modelling presentation indicated that, when adjusted for age, unvaccinated people are 27 times more likely to require intensive care and 40 times more likely to die from COVID-19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.