The number of people with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals remained at 273 on Thursday, still slightly above the lowest total seen in 2022 so far.
The number of coronavirus-positive patients requiring critical care ticked up slightly, from 28 last week to 32 this week.
This graph shows the number of COVID-19-positive patients in B.C. hospitals on Thursdays since the province switched to a "hospital census" model in January. (CTV)The number of patients in hospital each week is reported using a "hospital census" model, which includes anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether the disease is the reason for their hospitalization.
Since the province switched to this method of counting hospitalizations in January, the total reported on Thursdays has been as low as 255 and as high as 985.
In addition to the data on people currently in hospital, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control also released its weekly figures on new cases, new hospitalizations and new deaths Thursday.
The data shows 620 new cases confirmed during the week of June 19 to 25, a slight decrease from the 642 recorded during the previous epidemiological week.
It should be noted that these numbers do not reflect all transmission of COVID-19 in B.C. Rather, the BCCDC releases only results confirmed through lab-based testing, which is available to only a small subset of B.C. residents with symptoms of the disease.
Results from at-home rapid antigen tests are neither collected nor reported, meaning the true scope of coronavirus spread in B.C. at any given time cannot be known.
Still, 620 new lab-confirmed cases is the lowest total the province has reported since it switched to weekly updates in early April, and other indicators – such as wastewater surveillance – also trended downward throughout May and June.
The BCCDC's latest situation report indicates some wastewater treatment plants in the Lower Mainland have been seeing an increase in viral loads in recent weeks, though concentrations of the coronavirus remain on the lower end relative to where they were earlier in the year.
During the week of June 19 to 25, there were 169 new hospital admissions and 17 deaths of COVID-positive people.
Both of those totals are expected to increase "as data become more complete," according to the BCCDC.
Last week – for the period of June 12 to 18 – the BCCDC reported 156 new hospitalizations and 26 new deaths. Those figures have been revised upwards this week to 194 and 32, respectively.
Not all of the deaths reported in a given week are actually caused by COVID-19. Since April 2, the province has reported "30-day, all-cause mortality," meaning anyone who dies within 30 days of a positive COVID-19 test is included in the total.
The province's Vital Statistics agency then works to determine the underlying cause of death, a process that can take eight weeks.
As of June 18, the most recent date for which data is available, 726 deaths had been reported under the new system. Of those, the underlying cause was still pending for 172.
Most of the rest were not caused by COVID-19, according to Vital Statistics. A total of 310 of the remaining 554 deaths (about 56 per cent) had some other underlying cause, while 244 (44 per cent) were caused by COVID.
If the same ratio holds for the deaths reported for June 19 to 25 so far, then seven of the reported 17 will be found to have COVID-19 as their underlying cause.
Earlier this week, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization announced its recommendation that all Canadians be offered a seasonal COVID-19 booster shot this fall, ahead of a possible surge in transmission.
NACI's recommendation places particular emphasis on boosters for those at greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19, specifically those ages 65 and older, those with underlying medical conditions, and those in congregate living situations.
Though they're most important for these groups, booster doses should be offered to all Canadians ages 12 and older, regardless of how many doses they've already had or how many times they've had COVID, according to NACI.
In B.C., a total of 48,778 doses of vaccine were administered during the week of June 19 to 25. The vast majority of those – 39,831, or about 82 per cent – were fourth doses for people in the aforementioned vulnerable groups.
As of June 26, 43 per cent of those ages 70 and older had received four doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the BCCDC's COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard.
After a series of interest rate hikes implemented by the Bank of Canada, housing markets are now facing a 'significant' correction. CTVNews.ca spoke to Canadians who are now struggling to make the goal of purchasing a home, or selling one, a reality.
Scientists are keeping an eye on the Langya virus, a new pathogen that appears to have been transmitted from animals to humans in China and causes symptoms similar to COVID-19 or the flu.
A high-ranking B.C. officer used police resources to conduct at least 92 searches on his ex-girlfriend and her family while stalking her over a period of five years, according to documents exclusively obtained by CTV News.
Power has been restored in Toronto's downtown core after a widespread outage caused major disruptions in the city Thursday.
A Brampton, Ont. media personality who was attacked with a machete and axe in his driveway will need months of physical rehabilitation to recover, a close friend says.
The U.S. Justice Department is asking a federal court to unseal the warrant the FBI used to search the Mar-a-Lago estate of former president Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday, acknowledging extraordinary public interest in the case about classified records.
An armed man clad in body armor who tried to breach the FBI's Cincinnati office on Thursday was shot and killed by police after he fled the scene and engaged in an hourslong standoff in a rural part of the state, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
It’s been seven days since 74-year-old Lois Chartrand went missing while mushroom picking in the forest north of Smeaton, Sask.
The Ontario government is planning to move forward with several tax credits for residents as it formally tabled its 2022-23 budget on Tuesday.
Several Victoria restaurants that were hoping to support a local delivery service say they're out thousands of dollars since the company has failed to pay them.
A window washer had to be rescued Thursday after suffering an injury while on the side of a Victoria highrise.
The Central Saanich Firefighters Association has established a scholarship in honour of Assistant Fire Chief Forrest Owens who died from cancer in his home on June 21 at the age of 64.
Residents who live near Kensington Road in the northwest are calling on the City of Calgary to decrease the number of lanes at the intersection where an 8-year-old boy was struck by a car in the spring.
Five people are facing charges after a pair of Calgary drug busts in which police seized nearly $3 million in methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The owner of a petting zoo in east Calgary says the tone has changed over one its most popular public adult-only events.
Four Alberta legal associations teamed up Thursday to accuse Justice Minister Tyler Shandro of being "dismissive" and playing politics in a recent meeting over compensation for legal aid services.
Yet another delay to the opening of the Valley Line Southeast LRT has some questioning the value that public-private partnership (P3) infrastructure projects have, with the city pledging a comprehensive review into the practice.
The Edmonton Oilers shared memories of superfan Ben Stelter on Thursday. Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and head coach Jay Woodcroft held a virtual press conference to speak about the six-year-old.
A man is dead and another is in serious condition after a shooting at a Richmond Hill cemetery, where they were attending a funeral on Thursday for a man who was shot and killed in Toronto earlier this week.
Power has been restored in Toronto's downtown core after a widespread outage caused major disruptions in the city Thursday.
Ontarians hoping to view the last supermoon of the year may be in luck—the forecast appears to be in their favour.
The Montreal North community is grieving after 26-year-old Jayson Colin -- a man described as "generous, affable and involved" -- was killed in a shooting Wednesday night.
The family of a man on Montreals' West Island who is suffering liver failure says he is being denied the chance of a life-saving liver transplant.
An American teenager who was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting in Laval, Que. during a family vacation three months ago was finally released from hospital, but still isn't able to walk on his own.
What started as a simple mistake of addresses has led to a nearly year-long fight for an 88-year-old man over a medical suspension of his driver's licence – one he fears may have more to do with his age than his health.
Lac du Bonnet RCMP are investigating after a Winnipeg man drowned in Whiteshell Provincial Park Tuesday.
The second quarter report in 2022 for insolvency statistics in Canada shows Winnipeggers over the last three months have been filing for bankruptcy more compared to the previous quarter by nearly 47 per cent.
The suspect at the centre of Saskatchewan's recent Amber Alert was arrested in South Dakota for a possible illegal border crossing and kidnapping, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
It’s been seven days since 74-year-old Lois Chartrand went missing while mushroom picking in the forest north of Smeaton, Sask.
With less than a month to go until kids return to school, Nettie Cherniatenski is packing school bags for Ukrainian students at Baba’s Closet.
The suspect at the centre of Saskatchewan's recent Amber Alert was arrested in South Dakota for a possible illegal border crossing and kidnapping, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Yorkton’s SaskAbilities organization aims to take a person-centred approach when working with people with disabilities.
Hazelton says breakthroughs in care are making an impact, like advancements in virtual and tele-health care and says the province should create more community nurse and nurse practitioner-led clinics to help to ease the backlog in hospitals.
A former Halifax hospital CEO convicted of fraud has been granted bail one day after being sentenced to five months in jail.
A climatologist says the wildfires that have been burning for more than two weeks in central Newfoundland could be a sign of what's to come as the province feels the impacts of climate change.
The questions keep mounting for London police about an alleged swatting incident and how officers treated a popular online transgender activist.
A search for a missing boater continues in Lake Erie after an unoccupied boat was found along the shoreline in Madison, Ohio.
London police have identified a suspect related to the homicide of a 31-year-old man.
Timmins has a new mayor -- and she's the first person of colour to hold the seat. Kristin Murray has been appointed to take over the mayor's office until the upcoming election.
A group of motorcycle enthusiasts in North Bay were victims of vandalism this week because of their support for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
A company in Sault Ste. Marie is celebrating a significant milestone of community support.
Rorey Hill and Jessica Poreba, who were wanted in the death of a 68-year-old man in Brantford, have been arrested.
Issues impacting Ontario’s healthcare system are extending beyond the hospital and into the streets as some paramedics raise concerns.
Ask people driving and walking in the area of the Erb St. West and Ira Needles Blvd. roundabout, and it’s not hard to find someone with concerns or the story of a close call.
