Deadliest day since February: B.C. reports 11 deaths related to COVID-19
The B.C. government announced another 11 deaths related to COVID-19 on Friday, marking the deadliest 24 hours in the province since February.
The Ministry of Health said five of the latest coronavirus-related deaths were recorded in the Interior Health region, while Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health recorded four and two, respectively.
The ministry did not provide the ages or immunization status of the deceased.
But the unvaccinated still make up the vast majority of COVID-19 patients in intensive care, according to numbers shared by Health Minister Adrian Dix on Twitter.
They show 89 per cent of the 136 people in ICU as of Friday afternoon are unvaccinated, including every patient under the age of 40.
Over the past two weeks, from Sept. 2 to 15, the fully vaccinated have only been hospitalized at a rate of 1.2 cases per 100,000 population in B.C., according to the ministry's numbers. That's compared to 43.2 cases per 100,000 among the unvaccinated, and 8.4 cases per 100,000 among the partially vaccinated.
"After factoring for age, people not vaccinated are 35.1 times more likely to be hospitalized than those fully vaccinated," the ministry said in a news release.
The province also reported 768 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, leaving its seven-day average at 685, down from 693 on Thursday. B.C.'s active caseload increased to 6,031, up from 5,844 on Thursday.
About 31 per cent of the latest infections were recorded in the Fraser Health region, followed by 24 per cent in Interior Health, 21 per cent in Northern Health, 13 per cent in Island Health and 11 per cent in Vancouver Coastal Health.
For context, Fraser Health represents about 38 per cent of the provincial population; Interior Health, 16 per cent; Northern Health, six per cent; Island Health, 17 per cent; and Vancouver Coastal Health, 24 per cent.
As of Friday, 86.5 per cent of eligible B.C. residents age 12 or older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 78.9 per cent have received both doses. A total of 7,675,294 vaccine doses have been administered across the province so far.
The unvaccinated are also over-represented among case numbers.
Adjusted for age, there were only 29.5 infections per 100,000 population among the fully vaccinated from Sept. 9 to 15, according to the ministry, compared to 312.9 cases per 100,000 among the unvaccinated and 91.5 per 100,000 among the partially vaccinated.
The province had no new outbreaks to announce in health-care facilities, and those at Menno Home, Opal by Element and Sunset Lodge were declared over. That leaves 20 active outbreaks across B.C.'s health-care system.
This week, the Alberta government announced its health-care system is under "extreme pressure" due to an influx of COVID-19 patients, and that officials are discussing the possibility of transferring some to ICUs in other provinces.
Minister Dix has already said B.C. can't accept any overflow patients from other jurisdictions due to the pandemic's ongoing strain on hospitals.
On Friday, Premier John Horgan said he's been in contact with Jason Kenney, and that he and the Alberta premier agree that increasing vaccination numbers if the best way to get the fourth wave under control.
"The challenges in Alberta right now are stark," Horgan said. "We're in much better shape in British Columbia but that doesn't mean we're not going to continue to be vigilant, continue to encourage people to get vaccines."
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Bhinder Sajan
Correction
Correction: A previous version of this story reported that 95 per cent of ICU patietns as of Friday were unvaccinated. It was 89 per cent.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'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.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.