COVID-19 update: Jump in ICU admissions as B.C. extends restrictions
British Columbia's surge in coronavirus-positive patients in hospital continued on Tuesday, as officials confirmed most of the province's COVID-19 restrictions are being extended into next month.
The Ministry of Health said there are now 854 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across B.C., up from 819 on Monday. That total includes 112 patients battling the virus in intensive care, a jump of 13 per cent from the 99 announced the day before.
Most of the province's COVID-19 critical care patients are age 60 or older, according to a breakdown provided by Health Minister Adrian Dix on Twitter. All 12 of those who are at least 80 years old are fully vaccinated, highlighting the ongoing risks older people face from the virus.
"We need to really pay attention," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at a news conference earlier in the day. "With the high rates of transmission, there are still lots of people who do get seriously ill."
Officials noted that people's immune systems get less responsive with age, and many older residents have underlying conditions that leave them at higher risk.
The unvaccinated are also more vulnerable than the general population, Henry said, despite perceptions that Omicron is a mild iteration of COVID-19.
People without any vaccine protection make up 42 per cent of ICU patients, and 60 per cent of those under the age of 50. That makes them vastly over-represented, since that group only accounts for 14 per cent of the population.
The Ministry of Health also announced two new deaths related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, both of which were reported in the Fraser Health region. The government does not provide the vaccination status of the deceased in daily updates.
The numbers of daily coronavirus-related deaths have been increasing gradually over the last two weeks. It's unclear whether that is linked to a resurgence in COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes and assisted living facilities.
The ministry announced nine new outbreaks in the health-care system on Tuesday, at CareLife Fleetwood, Menno Hospital, Buchanan Lodge, St. Michael's Centre, Eden Care Centre, Village at Smith Creek, Veterans Memorial Lodge, Sunset Lodge and Sidney Care Home. Six others were declared over, leaving 53 active outbreaks in health-care facilities.
There have also been 1,975 new test-positive cases of COVID-19 recorded across B.C. That pushed the seven-day average down to 2,184 per day, though case numbers are said to under-reported because the province's testing capacity has been maxed out for weeks.
Still, officials have said they believe transmission for the Omicron wave has already peaked and started to decrease, as evidenced by ongoing monitoring of COVID-19 levels in wastewater.
Health officials cited ongoing high levels of transmission, as well as record hospitalizations, for extending most of the restrictions that were imposed last month. Those measures limit the size of household gatherings, ban indoor events such as weddings and funerals, prohibit bars and nightclubs from operating, and strictly regulate the behaviour of diners in restaurants.
Gyms and fitness facilities are being allowed to reopen on Jan. 20, however, under updated guidelines that include a required seven square metres of separation between people exercising.
Conversely to case numbers, overall COVID-19 hospitalizations are considered an "overestimate" of COVID-19's impact on health care, particularly since the province switched to a new system of reporting that includes all so-called incidental cases – people who were in hospital for reasons unrelated to the virus but tested positive during routine screening.
Officials have said approximately 45 per cent of COVID-19 hospitalizations are likely incidental, based on a case study conducted in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.