B.C. COVID-19 update: 11 more deaths as hospitalizations continue to decline

Eleven more deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in B.C. over the last 24 hours, as hospitalizations related to the disease continue to decline.

The Ministry of Health announced the latest numbers in a written statement Wednesday afternoon, saying 762 COVID-19-positive patients remain in hospitals across the province.

That total includes both people whose illness is severe enough to require hospitalization and those who were admitted to hospital for other reasons and tested positive incidentally.

There were 121 coronavirus patients in B.C. intensive care units as of Wednesday.

The latest deaths bring the province's total pandemic death toll to 2,777. Five of the deaths reported Wednesday happened in Fraser Health, three were in Island Health, two were in Northern Health and one was in Interior Health.

The ministry doesn't report the vaccination status of COVID-19 patients who die on a daily basis. However, data on deaths by vaccination status can be found on the B.C. Centre for Disease Control's COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard. 

The latest data indicates that unvaccinated people accounted for a disproportionate share of COVID-19-related deaths between Jan. 15 and Feb. 11, relative to their share of the population.

Seventy-two unvaccinated people died during that time, roughly 27 per cent of the 264 deaths attributed to the coronavirus during the period.

Unvaccinated people make up just 15 per cent of the province's total population, including those under age five who are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.

As of Wednesday, 90.4 per cent of eligible people ages five and older had received at least a first dose of vaccine, and 85.4 per cent had received two doses.

Among those ages 12 and older, 53.3 per cent had received a booster shot. 

Wednesday's update comes as the province prepares to lift many public health restrictions at 11:59 p.m.

After that time, capacity limits for large venues will be lifted, indoor wedding and funeral receptions can resume, and bars and nightclubs can reopen and allow dancing. 

The province's mask mandate for all indoor public spaces will remain in place, however, as will the B.C. Vaccine Card program, which requires customers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before entering certain businesses and venues.

New positive tests for COVID-19 have been considered an unreliable indicator of the disease's spread in B.C. since the province began discouraging testing in most situations.

A total of 750 people tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, according to the ministry.

No new outbreaks have been declared, and three have ended, leaving B.C.'s health-care system with 36 active outbreaks of COVID-19 as of Wednesday.