All COVID-19 patients under age 50 in B.C. ICUs are unvaccinated, health minister says
The vast majority of people who are battling COVID-19 in B.C.'s intensive care units are not fully vaccinated against the disease, and that's especially true of the younger people who develop serious illness.
Provincial Minister of Health Adrian Dix shared the demographics of B.C.'s ICU population at a news conference on Thursday as he repeated his perpetual appeal for residents to get vaccinated.
Dix said there are 130 people in intensive care in the province as of Thursday - one more than the number officially released by the health ministry on Wednesday - though he cautioned that Thursday's numbers had not yet been finalized.
Of those 130, Dix said, 111 are unvaccinated, 10 are partially vaccinated and nine are fully vaccinated.
Moreover, no one under age 50 who is in a B.C. ICU right now is fully vaccinated, Dix said.
That group - people in intensive care with COVID-19 who are under age 50 - accounts for 32 of the 130 ICU cases, according to the health minister's numbers. That's roughly one-quarter of coronavirus patients in intensive care.
As has long been the case, older people account for a larger portion of those hospitalized with COVID-19. Still, those who are unvaccinated make up most of the ICU cases among B.C. residents age 50 and older.
Another 32 unvaccinated people in their 50s are in B.C. ICUs right now, Dix said, as are 25 unvaccinated people in their 60s.
"This can affect everybody," he said. "It is - I think, in this context, with the Delta variant prevalent - a foolish thing to not be vaccinated. It, of course, puts stresses on everybody in our health-care system."
Dix described the outcomes for COVID-19 patients who end up in intensive care units in B.C. as "the best in the world," but added that most ICU cases could be avoided if everyone were fully vaccinated.
"We are doing an extraordinary job - when people are extremely sick with COVID-19 and in our hospitals and in our ICUs - at helping them," Dix said. "However, I want to be very plain: Everyone would rather be doing something else."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Auston Matthews returns for Game 7, but Leafs minus injured goaltender Joseph Woll
Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews returned to the lineup for Game 7 against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.