B.C. reports 6 COVID-19 deaths in final update of the week

A woman wears a protective face mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as they walk past the emergency department of the Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Another six deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in British Columbia, the province announced Friday along with another decrease in test-positive patients in hospital.

The latest coronavirus-related deaths, five of which were recorded in the Island Health region, put the provincial death toll at 2,966.

There are 290 people with COVID-19 hospitalized across the province, including 46 in intensive care, according to the Ministry of Health's final pandemic update of the week. That count also includes people who were admitted to hospital for reasons unrelated to COVID-19 but tested positive on routine screening. 

Another care home outbreak, at Sidney Care Home on Vancouver Island, has been declared over, leaving seven ongoing outbreaks across the health-care system. A resurgence of outbreaks in health-care settings was impacting upwards of 50 facilities at a time earlier this year.

The ministry also announced 199 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, which pushed the province's seven-day average down to 229 per day. While daily case numbers only track positive lab tests, which are not available to most people with coronavirus symptoms, they line up with other indictors that suggest transmission is decreasing.

It's unclear whether health officials' decision to relax several COVID-19 restrictions – which has led to some lively and crowded parties in downtown Vancouver, including on Thursday for St. Patrick's Day – will impact the province's progress.

As of Friday, nearly 91 per cent of eligible B.C. residents have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 87 per cent have had two. Just under 57 per cent of eligible adults have also had a third shot.

The province's data consistently shows people with vaccine protection are less likely to be hospitalized or die after catching COVID-19.

Health officials have said they will soon move to a weekly model for pandemic updates, rather than provide numbers every weekday. They have not given a timeline for when that switch will take place, though earlier this month provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she hopes it will be "very soon."